JICA FUNDED THE JAPANESE COAST GUARD (JCG) OIL SPILL MANAGEMENT TRAINING COURSE FOR SRI LANKA COAST GUARD

Japanese Coast Guard, in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), inaugurated its third phase of oil spill response and management training for thirty-four Sri Lankan Coast Guard (SLCG) personnel at the Advanced Training Center (ATC), Kirinda on 02^nd February 2023.

The Deputy Director General Sri Lanka Coast Guard Commodore Nilantha Hewavitharane, Senior Representative of JICA Miss Ide Yuri and other representatives, Principal Officer of Mobile Cooperation Team Commander Hideaki Matsuo and five other JCG officers, Senior Staff Officer Training Commander Lasith Wickramasinghe, and Officer in Command of ATC Lieutenant Commander Prashan Perera attended the inaugurated ceremony.

The objective of the JICA-initiated programme is to provide institutional support for the SLCG to establish an in-house comprehensive oil spill incident management system. Since the SLCG is responsible for performing first responder duties for "Oil Spill and Response Management" incidents at sea as well as country's coastal belt, it is essential to effectively train SLCG personnel to respond oil spill by deploying cutting-edge equipment and resources. The 14-day course covers the nature of various forms of oil, the harmful effects on the marine ecosystem, and mitigation methods, including advanced oil spill management techniques.