India escalates cyclone response as third naval vessel deployed

India has decisively escalated its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission to aid Sri Lanka, placing the deployment of a third major naval asset at the center of the response to Cyclone Ditwah. The focus has now shifted to the rapid deployment of INS Sukanya, which has sailed with a critical payload to bolster the operations already underway by INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri.

The mission, which now involves an expanded naval footprint, has delivered over 29 tons of immediate relief supplies, personnel, and heavy equipment. The addition of INS Sukanya is expected to significantly increase the logistical capacity for supplying aid to coastal regions devastated by the storm.

The initial waves of assistance saw INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri contributing a combined 6.5 tons of rations (4.5 tons dry and 2 tons fresh). However, the imminent arrival of INS Sukanya, which sailed from Vishakapatnam, is the key element in the expanded naval strategy, expected to anchor the long-term supply chain.

Simultaneously, air assets continue to fly in highly specialized teams: a C-130 J plane delivered approximately 12 tons of humanitarian essentials, including tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hygiene kits, and ready-to-eat food items.