SRI LANKA COAST GUARD REHEARSED OIL SPILL RESPONSE AND MANAGEMENT EXERCISE AT DIKOVITA FISHERY HARBOUR

Sri Lanka Coast Guard acts as a first responder to oil spill response and management in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a ready duty force to face such emergencies.

To enable the competencies of SLCG's oil response and management, an oil spill practical exercise was conducted at Dikovita Fishery Harbour on 31^st July 2023. This event was spearheaded by Deputy Director General of SLCG Commodore LN Hewavitharana and the event was attended by a representative from Sri Lanka Navy Captain Operation Department (W) EAIP Edirisinghe, Officials of Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and a representative from Ceylon Harbour Cooperation.

In this event oil spill response and management team was composed of 21 oil spill experts who trained from the Japanese Coast Guard under the JICA co-creation programme.

This pragmatic training allowed them to plan, estimate and decide the best mitigation action such as how to prevent further spreading of oil by laying up booms, oil spill monitoring using drones, and collection of spilled oil by using skimmers. Hence, exercise of these kinds helps Sri Lanka Coast Guard personnel to enhance their horizons.