Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-05-09

Purchasing of a Multi Beam Echo Sounder to carry out Hydrographic Surveys for mapping out the ocean belt of Sri Lanka

The drawing of Nautical Charts for Sri Lanka from the Colonial times up to date is done by the United Kingdom and since the Charts thus prepared are owned by them, they derive a colossal sum of money out of the sale of such charts. It is imperative that every ship which sails across the shipping route of Sri Lanka should use the printed and electronic nautical charts of the ocean belt of Sri Lanka and when considering the large number of commercial ships which sail across the shipping route of Sri Lanka, annually, the country can derive a huge income.

Although, there are trained human resources available, the constraint for mapping out of the ocean belt of Sri Lanka is the non-availability of modern technological equipment with the Sri Lanka Navy Hydrographic Division. As such, the proposal made by Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera, the then Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, to purchase a Multi Beam Echo Sounder for the country's only institute available for designing of Nautical Charts established in the National Aquatic Resources Research Development Agency, with a view to mapping out the ocean belt of Sri Lanka with an updated network of hydrographic surveys and to call for international bids for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet, taking into consideration the concurrence given by Hon. Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa, the present Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Development and Rural Economic Affairs.