Sea Rescue

A group of volunteers are being banded together to form the country’s first Sea Rescue Institution, to search and save life in local maritime disasters.





A group of volunteers are being banded together to form the country’s first Sea Rescue Institution, to search and save life in local maritime disasters.

Thought up well before the tsunami wrecked Sri Lanka’s coastline, the team can carry out emergency rescue of people in floods or when ships catch fire or even run aground.

The Sea Rescue Institution of Sri Lanka (SRI-SL), led by the Harbour Master and officials from a local maritime training college has already had about 20 volunteers signing up.

Its two high speed, rigid, inflatable lifeboats will be stationed at the Rowing Club in Colombo to reach up to Negombo and in Kalutara South that can reach up to Panadura.

“We have stationed one boat on the Beira Lake with access to the sea through the port and one on the Kalu Ganga in Kalutara with access to the sea.

The boats can cover up to about 70 to 100 nautical miles,” Capt. Asitha Wijesekera, Treasury to the SRI-SL said.

The last maritime disaster in Sri Lanka was just eight months