STRENGTHENING OIL SPILL RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS: SRI LANKA COAST GUARD AND STAKEHOLDERS COLLABORATE IN TRINCOMALEE TRAINING INITIATIVE

As per the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCOP), individual organizations are responsible for responding to oil spill incidents they encounter. In line with this mandate, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) launched an oil spill response training program for organizations operating within Trincomalee Harbour, reinforcing the importance of collective preparedness. This initiative, directed by the Rear Admiral Rajapriya Serasinghe, Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, aimed to enhance response capabilities through collaboration with key stakeholders. The three-day training program culminated in a final oil spill response simulation at Ashroff Jetty on 28^th February 2025.

The Sri Lanka Coast Guard Marine Pollution Response Team—trained under a three-year oil spill response program in collaboration with the Japan Coast Guard—conducted the training. This program was supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and included expertise-sharing sessions both in Sri Lanka and Japan under the guidance of the Japan Coast Guard. During the training, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Marine Oil Spill Response Team assessed the oil spill response capabilities of participating organizations and provided recommendations to improve their preparedness.

The event brought together 21 trainees from key organizations operating within Trincomalee Harbour, including, Sri Lanka Navy, Indian Oil Corporation – Trincomalee, Prima Ceylon Limited – Trincomalee, Trincomalee Port Authority and Tokyo Eastern Cement Company (PVT) Ltd. This collaborative effort fostered a goodwill initiative among all participants, emphasizing the need for a unified response strategy.

The program focused on practical oil spill response techniques, allowing participants to Plan and estimate mitigation actions, deploy oil booms to prevent further spreading, Monitor and track oil spills, Collect spilled oil using skimmers, Apply of oil dispersion techniques. By engaging in realistic simulation exercises, personnel from the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, Sri Lanka Navy, and external stakeholders expanded their expertise and readiness for potential oil spill incidents in Trincomalee Natural Harbour.

The Sri Lanka Coast Guard intends to conduct similar training programs in collaboration with the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) to further strengthen both individual and collective oil spill response capabilities.

The event was spearheaded by several distinguished officials and representatives, including Commander Hideaki Matsuo – Japan Coast Guard Mobile Cooperation Team, Deputy Area Commander – Eastern Naval Area Commodore Chaminda Karunasena, Director Training – Sri Lanka Coast Guard Captain Charitha Gunawantha, Mr. T Shripathy – Assistant Manager, Northern and Eastern Province, MEPA, Mr. Anton Fernando – Human Resource Manager, Tokyo Eastern Cement Company (PVT) Ltd, Mr. KP Jayathulla – Security Manager, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Trincomalee, Mr. MND Dayananda – Assistant District Manager, Prima Ceylon Ltd, Commander (Retd) Suresh Wijesundara – Security Manager, Prima Ceylon Ltd, Mr. Naveen Kumar – Senior Vice President (Operations & LPB), Indian Oil Corporation – Trincomalee and the Commanding Officers of Naval Ships.

Through initiatives like this, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental protection and maritime safety, ensuring that Trincomalee Harbour remains well-prepared to tackle oil spill incidents effectively.