Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-11-21

Obtaining a Coast Guard Vessel for the Coast Guard Department of Sri Lanka

- The Coast Guard Department of Sri Lanka carries out the mission of enforcing the Maritime Law of Sri Lanka in the sea belt along Sri Lanka which is approximately 517,000 Sq. kms. Due to the existence of busy international shipping lanes passing through the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka just beyond 5 nautical miles from the land and with the increase in the security challenges such as maritime terrorism, drug trafficking, human smuggling, piracy and illegal fishing, it is essential to increase the number of vessels required for the coast guard activities.

According to a request made from the Government of India the coast guard vessel called 'Varuna' used by the Indian Department of Coast Guard will be given over to the Coast Guard Department of Sri Lanka free of charge and it will help to enhance the coast guard capabilities of the said Department. Accordingly, the proposal made by H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, to accept the said vessel as an award, was approved by the Cabinet.