The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Urban Development and Housing Minister to sign Memorandum of Understanding to obtain a satellite technology based oil spill monitoring service, Cabinet Spokesman Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said. He was speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held at the Government Information Department yesterday. Due to the growth of the shipping industry and port development, the number of ships sailing in Sri Lankan waters is increasing.
Therefore, it is necessary to establish a system to quickly obtain information about oil spills caused by ships. With such a system, it will be possible to take quick measures to prevent marine pollution caused by ships, identify the responsible ships and take relevant legal actions. Accordingly, as a pilot project, the Economics and Finance Ministry of France has agreed to provide a grant of 601,810 Euros through the Collected Localization Satellites (CLS) for this.
The clearance of the Attorney General has been received for the draft Memorandum of Understanding prepared for this purpose and the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Urban Development and Housing Minister to sign this Memorandum of Understanding accordingly.