Director General of Merchant Shipping calls on Commander of the Navy
 

Director General of Merchant Shipping, Mr. A. W. Seneviratne called on Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera at the Naval Headquarters on 30^th July 2014. They held wide ranging discussions related to the country’s maritime and shipping industry.

Sri Lanka Navy has also established a new directorate to assist Sri Lanka’s thriving maritime industry. Under the directives of Secretary of Defence and Urban Development, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Navy’s Directorate of Maritime Cooperation will function as a focal point in collaborating with professional maritime bodies in the country to make Sri Lanka the maritime hub in the region in accordance with Mahinda Chinthanaya, the vision of His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

As envisaged in Mahinda Chinthanaya, the Vision for the Future, Sri Lanka is today fast becoming a Maritime Hub in the region. Under the direction of the Secretary of Defence, who is designated as the Maritime Hub Master in this endeavour, state-of-the art facilities are being developed in quest to regain the maritime glory of the island-nation, which is located strategically centering the world’s major shipping lanes connecting the East and the West. As a result, it is in a very strong position to capitalize on its enormous maritime potentials. The country’s maritime industry accordingly is being revitalized to fast–track the island-nation’s maritime capacities and capabilities. The Port of Colombo, the nation’s gateway to the world, has today become a hive of activity and is keeping its flag plying high as a premier service provider as a result.

The creation of a professional maritime workforce in this context augurs well for the country’s thriving maritime industry. SLN, which played a pivotal role in ushering in lasting peace to the Motherland, continues assisting the maritime industry, providing professional expertise and making available its assets under the direction of the Commander of the Navy, who by virtue of appointment is the Operational Hub Master of the nation’s forward march for achieving the Maritime Hub status. It also actively participates in promoting maritime cooperation in the world’s fast growing region to ensure safety of the Sea Lines of Communication and compliance of international conventions. SLN collaborates with key regional players such as the Indian Ocean Marine Affairs Cooperation (IOMAC) and the Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) to achieve good ocean governance and to protect maritime environment.

Director Maritime Cooperation, Commodore Noel Kalubowila also took part in the discussions which focused on the Navy’s functions geared to meet the industry demands. Attention was also drawn to the successes of the SLN’s Merchant Marine Training School.