Nearly 50 sunken, derelict ships in Lankan waters; Govt. to maximise revenues

The Government is to maximise earnings potential from sunken and derelict ships.

At a special discussion chaired by Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, it was revealed that as many as 47 such vessels have sunk and capsized in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. Instructions were issued to take maximum benefit from these vessels to the local economy and to preserve them in view of archaeological importance if necessary.

At the discussions, it was revealed that a large number of tourists are interested in exploring the sites of sunken vessels in local waters which is also facilitated by a number of international ocean exploration and diving teams for the photography of the sites.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva instructed for the implementation of a suitable process in combination with the Ministry of Tourism, Sri Lanka Navy and private tour and travel companies to facilitate the program.

At the discussions, it was decided to salvage any vessels with no archaeological value at these sites and sell them for scrap and credit revenue to the government account.

The Minister at the discussions, pointed out that according to maritime law, if rights over a sunken ship were not presented within a period of one year, the ownership of the ship would fall on the government that owned the oceanic territory and that there existed no impediment to scrapping for sale of the same.

The Minister ordered relevant officials to look into six such vessels anchored at Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee ports for over six years, and consider expediting the legal process to obtain the maximum revenue to Sri Lanka Ports Authority out of these abandoned vessels.

The Director General of the Marine Environment Protection Authority pointed out the importance of avoiding any pollution to the marine environment in this process.