Cadex 2009 Cadex 2009 was a military training exercise involving the Indian Navy , Sri Lanka Navy and the Indian Coast Guard . The three day long training exercise was held from 6 October to 8 October 2009 . Training exercises between the two countries had been held annually , but this had been delayed because of the Sri Lankan Civil War . It was also the first training exercise between the two navies since the end of the war . The Indian vessels that participated in the Cadex 2009 exercises were INS " Shardul " , a landing ship tank of the India Navy and INCGS " Varuna " , an offshore patrol vessel of the Indian Coast Guard . The offshore patrol vessels SLNS " Sayura " and SLNS " Samudura " , along with the transport vessel A521 were the participating vessels from the Sri Lanka Navy . Preparations . The Indian Navy was invited for the exercises by Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe , the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy . Cadex 2009 was initiated despite accusations from some Indian media that the Sri Lanka Navy had killed more than 50 South Indian fishermen . The plans for the exercise were not revealed until the day the Indian cadets arrived in Sri Lanka . The Indian cadets who participated in the exercise were from the 1st Training Squadron , based in Kochi . They arrived at the Colombo Harbour on 5 October 2009 aboard the INS " Krishna " and the two vessels that participated in the exercise , " Shardul " and " Varuna " . Cadex 2009 was intended to provide an opportunity for the Sri Lankan cadets to train on board Indian ships and to " enhance and exchange knowledge " . The Indian cadets , in turn , were to " familiarize themselves with ( Sri Lankan ) tri - forces military training institutions " and also to visit places of historical and cultural value in order to " strengthen the ties between the two countries " . Training exercise . 100 Sri Lankan cadets from the Naval and Maritime Academy at Trincomalee , and 141 Indian cadets took part in the exercises . The vessels set out from the Colombo harbour at 9 . 00 am ( local time , ) and sailed for five hours before arriving at the planned location for the exercises , south west of the Colombo harbour . The Sri Lanka Navy also took media personnel aboard the SLNS " Hansaya " to report the exercise . A cordon was set up around the area by Fast Attack Craft of the Sri Lanka Navy . Live fire exercises were started on the night of 6 October . The exercises included a visit , board , search , and seizure ( VBSS ) training for the Sri Lanka Navy ' s Special Boat Squadron , and helicopter landings aboard the " Shardul " and " Sayura " . The ships returned to the Colombo harbour on 8 October . The Indian cadets also visited the Sri Lanka Military Academy in Diyatalawa , the Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee and the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Kandawala . They also visited places of " cultural and historical value " value in the country . Reception . According to the Sri Lanka Navy , the training exercise reflects the " mutual cooperation of the two friendly navies and the long standing bilateral relations of the two neighbouring nations " . However , some Tamil Nadu politicians had expressed dissatisfaction at the Indian Navy agreeing to hold Cadex 2009 with the Sri Lanka Navy . This friction is even stronger after alleged attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka Navy on January 12 , 2011 near Tamil Nadu .