Sri Lanka to push employment opportunities for seafarers from the country
The government of Sri Lanka is looking at boosting employment opportunities for seafarers from the country by providing them with more employment opportunities which could lead to an increase in the earnings of foreign exchange to about US$ 1 billion from the current US$ 300 million.
Though Sri Lanka has about 17,500 sea farers only about 5,000 are employed at a given time, local media reports stated.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman, Daya Ratnayake has said a master plan had been developed to boost employment of seamen in Sri Lanka
The 5,000 persons had earned about US$ 300 million for the country per year.
“We have developed a strategy to increase this number,” Ratnayake has told an online forum organized by Sri Lanka’s National Chamber of Commerce.
“Out of this 17,500 people only about 5,000 are actively in operations. These 5,000 people bring about US$ 300 million a year.
“We can easily increase this to about billion US dollars in a matter of one year if we grab this opportunity.”
A qualified seafarer holds a Continuous Certificate of Discharge (CDC) an identity document, certifying that holder is a seaman recognized under the rules of The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers (STCW).
According to Ratanyake, Sri Lanka ports are being developed as a crew change hub and the plan would be submitted to Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaska.
Each month there was a demand for about 2,500 crew member changes from ships passing Sri Lanka.
OSL take:
Seafarers are a segment of the work force that has not received prior recognition as foreign exchange earners for the country. The Sri Lankan government’s decision to streamline the segment would undoubtedly increase the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Also, given Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean and close proximity to the international maritime route, Sri Lanka could become a hub for exchanging maritime crew. Therefore, Sri Lanka’s maritime industry will pose a host of new business/investment opportunities.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/22052020/Z_2 |