Seafarers can earn valuable foreign exchange for us – Minister
By training high quality maritime professionals with recognised qualifications, we can provide the necessary strength to recover our country’s crisis-hit economy, said Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.
The Minister stated this while attending the National Seafarers’ Day celebration that took place yesterday (21) at the Shangri-La Hotel.
“We have a proud and long history in the maritime industry in Sri Lanka. The Government was able to announce a Seafarers’ Day commemorating the maritime industry in Sri Lanka at a time when our people had forgotten about the industry. Furthermore, our country is nurturing young talent to provide for the maritime industry.
“It would be an honour for our country if we could send more people to the maritime industry abroad rather than for labour jobs. We need the help of the maritime industry to take this country to a better position. Geographically, Sri Lanka is located in a strategic position in the Indian Ocean. Our country can provide good seafarers, and we need to build more ships under our country’s name. The vision of the Ports and Shipping Ministry is to attract more employment opportunities by channeling skilled merchant mariners with a high level of professionalism into the industry.
“The National Seafarers’ Day celebration held today is very important to make the programme currently implemented by the Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry more organised to expand the contribution of seafarers in developing the socio-economic status of Sri Lanka. It leads to a great opportunity to generate foreign currency for Sri Lanka.
“Currently, there are about 50,000 trained seafarers in Sri Lanka, of which about 18,000 to 20,000 are actively working. Countries such as China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine are at the top of the professional maritime industry, but Sri Lanka as a maritime nation also fulfills all the qualifications for it.
“On average, a merchant seaman earns five times more than a domestic worker. Experts in this field emphasise that by increasing the number of currently active merchant mariners to 50,000, US$ 1 billion can be earned annually. They believe that this money can be safely invested in villages and small businesses in families. Also, the women’s labour force currently employed in the Middle East can be freed from those tasks and used for the social and cultural sustainability of Sri Lanka.”
A first day cover and a commemorative stamp were also released for the celebration of the National Seafarers’ Day and the National Maritime Navy Flag was also unveiled.
Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, State Minister of Higher Education Suren Raghavan, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, Postmaster General Ruwan Sathkumara and others participated in this event.
The post Seafarers can earn valuable foreign exchange for us – Minister appeared first on DailyNews.