October 25, Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Navy has deployed its offshore patrol vessel SLNS Samudura to assist in the rescue of a foreign merchant ship that ran into serious mechanical trouble in the Indian Ocean, roughly 100 nautical miles south of the island.

The operation began on 24 October 2025, after the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre received an urgent distress alert from the MV Integrity Star, reporting a major malfunction in its main engines that left the vessel adrift in open waters.

Responding swiftly to the call, the Navy dispatched Samudura, one of its key long-range patrol ships, equipped to handle both rescue and towing operations under challenging sea conditions. Naval officials confirmed that 14 crew members were on board the Integrity Star at the time of the incident, representing Indian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani nationalities.