SRI LANKA COAST GUARD SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED VBSS INSTRUCTOR COURSE

On 10^th March 2023, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), effectively completed the Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) instructor course.

During the closing ceremony conducted at the Advanced Training Centre in Kirinda, Mr Stuart Melville, Chief Instructor, Indian Ocean Region Team Sri Lanka (Global Maritime Crime Programme-UNODC), and Lieutenant Commander Mihir Gurjan, Indian Navy, awarded certificates of recognition to the instructors. In addition, Lieutenant Commander Prashan Perera, Officer in Command of the Advanced Training Centre, and the Chief Instructor delivered remarks on the course. Officers who participated in the VBSS basic and advanced courses were also present at the ceremony.

The course was conducted under the Global Maritime Crime Program of the UNODC and attended by a total of four officers, two each from both the Sri Lanka Coast Guard and the Sri Lanka Navy. The one-week course and two weeks of instructional demonstration for VBSS basic course participants, which began on February 20, taught the instructor qualities, evaluation procedures, and in-depth knowledge of VBSS's practical aspects. The practical boarding exercises of the course also were held near Hambantota International Port.