Submitted by: Sarath Obeysekera Chairman / Marine & Offshore Engineering Specialist EDB Advisory Board Member Strategic Inclusion of Trincomalee Offshore Engineering & Marine Hub in the National Export Development Plan (2025–2029) Submitted by: Sarath Obeysekera Chairman / Marine & Offshore Engineering Specialist EDB Advisory Board Member To: Hon. Minister of Industries Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka […]

By Eng. Sarath Obeysekera In 1984, I returned to Sri Lanka after working in Norway’s oil and gas industry, bringing with me experience in advanced welding technologies and offshore engineering. I joined the then state-controlled Colombo Dockyard PLC as a consulting engineer with one objective: to upgrade our industrial capability to international standards. During that […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera My wife and I recently arrived in Colombo from Singapore on a late-night flight. As dual citizens, I hold both a Sri Lankan passport and a British passport. As is my usual practice, I presented both passports to the immigration officer, since officers typically request to see them. To my surprise, the […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Ex samples Galle yacht yard, Beruwala / Mutwal boat yards, Trincomalee offshore engineering hub—all show the same failure  1. Policy approval without policy protection Projects are: So when: Permissions get cancelled, leases revoked, or files frozen Investors don’t fear Sri Lanka’s skills or location. They fear reversal risk. 2. Public institutions acting […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Across Sri Lanka and worldwide, a clear mismatch exists between academic qualifications and industry expectations. Universities and technical institutions produce thousands of graduates every year, yet employers—especially in engineering, shipbuilding, oil & gas, and heavy industry—continue to struggle to find job-ready professionals. The gap is not intelligence or theoretical knowledge; it is […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera I am proposing to align with ADB / World Bank / Blue Economy frameworks: Sri Lanka’s unfair advantages Sri Lanka already has nautical tourism  we just never packaged it. Your Negombo yacht station idea is particularly strong Negombo is: This is exactly how: built billion-dollar segments. 2. Can  We do something about it? […]

By Sarath Obeysekera The recent article Helming a Sea Change: Building the Future Workforce for US Shipbuilding” (January 12, 2026) correctly identifies shipbuilding as a cornerstone of national strength, economic resilience, and security. Ships still carry more than 80 percent of global trade, and yet the United States—once a dominant maritime power—now accounts for barely […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera It is utmost important that Sti Lanka develops vocational training educational revolution to train our youngsters Proposed curriculum will help them students to get into a highly paid employment  IDMNC ADVANCED WELDING ACADEMY GALLE  Proposed Refresher Training Program for Overseas Employment 7-Day Intensive Refresher Course in MMAW & FCAW 1. Program Title Intensive […]

Dr. Sarath Obeysekera Investor & Project Promoter Open Letter to Ministry of Investment Promotion, Chairman – UDA, Director General – BOI, President’s office Director of office of digitisation  Dear Sir / Madam, Sri Lanka urgently needs to exert far greater pressure on the digitisation and streamlining of statutory approvals for investment projects, particularly those involving skills […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Colombo Dockyard Limited (CDL) remains one of Sri Lanka’s most valuable yet under-leveraged strategic assets in the maritime and marine engineering sector. Its location, skilled workforce, dry dock facilities, and legacy capabilities position it as a natural anchor for Sri Lanka’s emergence as a regional maritime hub. Post-Privatisation Reality Since privatisation, the […]

Dr. Sarath Obeysekera  Lessons from Hambantota and the Way Forward 1. Executive Summary Sri Lanka’s strategic location along the East–West international shipping route presents a unique opportunity to develop a high-value marine and offshore industrial economy, rather than relying solely on port-based logistics and transshipment activities. In 2015, a comprehensive proposal was submitted to develop […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Subject: Urgent actions to develop marina, repair & maintenance (R&M) and leisure-yacht infrastructure at Galle and strategic fishery harbours (including Modera) to capture high-value nautical tourism and marine services export opportunities. Prepared by: Dr Sarath Obeysekera  Executive summary Sri Lanka has an immediate, realistic opportunity to develop a world-class cluster for luxury […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Colombo Dockyard’s majority shareholder, Onomichi Dockyard of Japan, recently divested 51% of its shares to an Indian shipyard.  The transaction, I am informed, was carefully structured by Sri Lankan legal and financial professionals, without ministerial influence.  The final stage is now underway, with additional shares being issued to existing shareholders. This development […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera https://www.gossiplankanews.com/2025/12/rethinking-the-colombo-north-port-project-after-the-kelani-floods.html?m=1 https://www.facebook.com/share/1BfqcMbNgW/?mibextid= Dear Sir / Madam, During my tenure at SLLRDC, and subsequently while serving in senior professional and advisory capacities related to port and shipyard development, I repeatedly expressed serious concerns regarding the adequacy of the Kelani River outfall and associated drainage infrastructure in Northern Colombo. Specifically, I wish to place […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera To Honorable minister Urban Canal Passenger Transport Pilot Project – Colombo & Suburbs(Public–Private Partnership / BOT Model) Proponent:Dr. Sarath ObeysekeraMarine Engineer & Shipbuilding SpecialistSri Lanka 1. Background & Rationale The Colombo Metropolitan Region continues to face severe road congestion, rising fuel import costs, and increasing carbon emissions, despite major investments in road and rail […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera I  remember former Minister of Urban Development who frequently spoke to Advocata and other policy forums about modern urban transport concepts—especially: He was Minister of Megapolis & Western Development (2015–2019) and  Previously Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply & Drainage Why my  canal transport proposal which was submitted from our shipyard failed  Because   […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera This is about Lihiniya Boat Builders, a boatyard in Paraliya near Ambalangoda, engaged in building multi-day fiberglass fishing boats. The owner, Mr. Chanaka, is a young entrepreneur trained at Ocean University. He first worked in the steel sector at my shipyard and later ventured into the FRP (fiberglass) boat-building industry on his […]

By Dr Sarath Obeysekera Chairman .Advisory Board fir EDB to develop Marine and Offshore Industry 1.     Purpose Sri Lanka is currently facing a severe shortage of foreign currencycreating hardships to the people in the country .Conventional foreign income generating avenues such as tourism,export of garments ,coconut products ,export of teas and spices are not performing […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Sri Lanka is approaching a critical economic and energy crossroads. Delays in strategic infrastructure development will inevitably deepen fiscal, employment, and foreign exchange pressures. Trincomalee offers a rare, time-sensitive opportunity to attract large-scale Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and position Sri Lanka as a regional industrial and offshore energy hub. Strategic Proposal The […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera The Core Problem: Fragmented & Weak Oil Spill Response Sri Lanka’s marine pollution control today suffers from: Oil spill response is still treated as an emergency event, not as a permanent national infrastructure requirement. Why the Spliced Oil Collection System” Is the Missing Link What you correctly identify is the absence of […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Project title: Trinco Mega-Tanker End-of-Life Programme — Floating-Dock Fit-Part Dismantling to Prevent Harbour Pollution Execution by : [Ministry / Port Authority Prepared by Dr Sarath Obeysekera using AI resources ] Executive summary This project proposes a controlled, on-water dismantling method using a large floating dry dock (mega floating dock) combined with fit-part” […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera 6.1 ගෝලීය හා කලාපීය තත්ත්වය භාරත් උප-භූඝටයේ නැවේ සෑදීමේ මඟහැරීම්ට බලපාන ප්‍රධාන සාධක ලෙස පවතින්නේ නෞකා කණ්ඩායමේ ප්‍රමාණය හා වයස, ගෝලීය වෙළඳ ගමන් මාර්ග හා වෙළඳ ප්‍රමාණය, නියාමන හා පාරිසරික පදනම, වැඩබලන ගනුදෙනුකරුවන්ගේ වියදම්, හා ප්‍රතිස්පර්ධා මට්ටමයි. නෞකා අලුත්වැඩියා හැකියාව නියම වන්නේ වසරකට අලුත්වැඩියා කළ හැකි නෞකා ගණන සහ වැඩබලන ඩ්‍රයිඩොක් එකක […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera 6.1 Global and Regional Perspective Demand for shipbuilding in the Indian subcontinent is shaped by several key factors including fleet size and age, global trade volumes and patterns, regulatory requirements, labour and material costs, and competitive pressures from other shipyards. Ship repair capacity, on the other hand, is defined primarily by the […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Shipyard in Mutwal Fishery Harbour Government is vigorously promoting boat building industry in Sri Lanka and appointed a dedicated state minister to support the industry. Export Development Board has also established a cabinet approved Advisory Board to develop Marine Industry with emphasis to further assist nautical tourism and ministers but the support […]

The Indo–Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ISCCI) ISCCI Hosts Second Edition of Bridging Borders” Financial Dialogue in ColomboTheme: Enabling Sri Lanka’s Market Bond Issuance in Indian Currency – Pathways, Policies, and PreparednessDate: Wednesday, 15th October 2025Venue: BMICH, Colombo | Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Followed by High Tea The Indo–Sri Lanka […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera සම්මානීය සභාපතිතුමනි, උසස් වෘත්තීය අධ්‍යාපන කොමිෂන් සභාව ජාතික ශිල්ප පුහුණු මණ්ඩලය සිලෝන් ජර්මානු පුහුණු ආයතනය – සභාපති/අධ්‍යක්ෂතුමා මහත්මයනි, වෘත්තීය පුහුණු ආයතන විසින් සිදුකරනු ලබන වෙල්ඩින් තාක්ෂණ පාඨමාලා වල අසම්පූර්ණ කාර්ය සාධනය පිළිබඳව Temple Trees හි පැවති Skills Expo විශේෂ සැසි මණ්ඩපයේදී පැවති සංවාදයකදී, මගේ ප්‍රශ්නයකට ප්‍රතිචාර දුන් සියලුම විශිෂ්ට පැනල් සාමාජිකයින් විසින්, […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Prepared by: Dr. Sarath ObeysekeraChairman – Advisory Board on Offshore and Marine Industry DevelopmentUnder the Export Development Board (EDB), IDMS welding school Background Sri Lanka’s shipbuilding, offshore fabrication, and heavy engineering industries face a growing shortage of certified welders meeting international standards (ASME, AWS, ISO 9606). Traditional welding training methods, while effective, are […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera 1. Background Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean, along major East–West shipping routes, offers an unmatched opportunity to position the country as a regional hub for offshore, marine, and energy-related services. The newly developed Colombo Port City, adjacent to the existing Colombo Harbour, provides a world-class urban and business environment […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Ex CEO Cololmbo Dockyard Pvt Ltd and chairman advisory board under EDB to develop Marine and Offshore Industry  1. Introduction Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its economic and industrial development. The current Government’s development priorities, especially under the NPP administration, recognize that a robust and skilled workforce is indispensable […]

By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera Sri Lanka stands at a pivotal moment with the new government trying to woo investors and bring FDI  Surrounded by one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors and blessed with vast ocean resources, the island nation has the potential to transform its economy by embracing the blue economy. To do this, […]