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| Sunday, 24 April 2005 |
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SRISL to manage SOS operations by Rohan Mathes The Sea Rescue Institution of Sri Lanka (SRISL) which will provide rescue services to victims at sea and other disasters ashore, was launched at the Colombo Rowing Club recently. At the press conference marking this launch at the CINEC Maritime Campus in Malabe, SRISL Secretary Capt. Asitha Wijesekera told newsmen that SRISL was a volunteer charity organisation solely committed to the task of providing waterborne search and rescue operations and to save lives of those who are in peril at sea, inland waterways or during floods. "We have been presented with two rigid inflatable fast rescue boats from the Royal Dutch Life Boat Institution (KNRM) in Holland to start the organisation in Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse is the Patron of SRISL. The Harbour Master of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Nihal Keppitipola will be the Chairman of its Board of Governors. SRI-SL is also in the process of being accepted as a Member of the International Life Boat Federation (ILBF)", he said. He explained that the boats have an operating speed of over 30 knots and are fitted with VHF communications and GPS navigation system. They are fully equipped with necessary safety gear for efficient search and rescue operations. The boats will be stationed in Colombo and Kalutara respectively and would initially serve a sea area between Negombo and Bentota. Both boats have an endurance of six hours at top speed and would cover a distance of up to 50 nautical miles. They have now selected eight individuals from a large group of volunteers as the initial boat crew and they are being trained in rescue operations, first aid and boat operations now. The volunteers would be devoting their time and effort free of charge in addition to taking risks in the course of rescue operations. The SRI-SL will respond to situations where fishermen are lost at sea. They would also respond to boats, ships and liner accidents offshore, internal floods, rescue and recovery of swimmers, victims of drowning and assist in case of oil spills, fire on board ships among others. Capt. Wijesekera seeks assistance and generous support from all those concerned for the costly expansion of the network of boat stations, the maintenance of the two stations they were setting up and the training of volunteers. |
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