By Dr. Sarath Obeysekera Former CEO, Colombo Dockyard PLC The tragic factory fire reported recently is not merely another unfortunate industrial accident. It is a stark reminder that industrial safety in Sri Lanka still suffers from weak enforcement, inadequate inspections, and, in some cases, a dangerous culture of complacency. Every worker leaves home expecting to […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  In addition  to installing air pumping into lake bottom other  methods are used worldwide  Malaysian Method  It is believed are referring to EM (Effective Microorganism) Mud Balls, also called Bokashi Mud Balls or Genki Balls. They are widely promoted in Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore for cleaning polluted rivers and lakes.  The […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  How Colombo Dockyard built the Shell Gas LPG Storage Terminal that later became Litro Gas The construction of the Shell Gas LPG Terminal at Muthurajawela (Kerawalapitiya) during the late 1990s was one of the most technically demanding heavy engineering projects ever undertaken in Sri Lanka. It demonstrated that Sri Lankan engineers, welders […]

ආචාර්ය සරත් ඔබේසේකර නෝර්වේහි Draugen Power-from-Shore (PfS) ව්‍යාපෘතිය, වයස්ගත වෙමින් පවතින මුහුදුබඩ තෙල් සහ ගෑස් වේදිකාවක් නවීකරණය කර, එහි කාබන් විමෝචනය අඩු කරමින්, එහි නිෂ්පාදන කාලය දිගු කළ හැකි ආකාරය පෙන්නුම් කරන වැදගත් උදාහරණයකි. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට වඩාත් වැදගත් වන්නේ, නිසි කාර්මික යටිතල පහසුකම් ඇති රටකට ඉතා උසස් මට්ටමේ ඉංජිනේරු, වානේ නිෂ්පාදන සහ මුහුදුබඩ ඉදිකිරීම් කටයුතු […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Norway’s Draugen Power-from-Shore (PfS) Project demonstrates how an ageing offshore oil and gas platform can be modernised to reduce emissions while extending its productive life. More importantly for Sri Lanka, it illustrates the type of sophisticated engineering, fabrication and offshore construction work that countries with the right industrial infrastructure can undertake. The […]

ආචාර්ය සරත් ඔබේසේකර කටාර් රාජ්‍යය අද ලෝකයේ සාර්ථකම බලශක්ති ආර්ථිකයන්ගෙන් එකක් බවට පත්ව ඇත්තේ ස්වාභාවික වායු (LNG) අපනයනය පමණක් නොව, ඒ වටා ගොඩනැගූ සමස්ත කර්මාන්ත පරිසර පද්ධතිය (Industrial Ecosystem) හේතුවෙනි. විශේෂයෙන් රස් ලෆ්ෆාන් කර්මාන්ත නගරය (Ras Laffan Industrial City) සහ North Field ව්‍යාපෘති ආශ්‍රිතව, කටාර් රජය ලොව ප්‍රමුඛ ඉංජිනේරු සමාගම්, තාක්ෂණික ආයතන, EPC කොන්ත්‍රාත්කරුවන්, පර්යේෂණ […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  Al-Shaheen Field Expansion Project, Qatar The project I am referring to is the Ru’ya Development Project, a major expansion of Qatar’s offshore Al-Shaheen oilfield, operated by North Oil Company, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies. Central Processing Platform One of the largest packages covers a new Central Processing Platform complex. The approximately […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  Qatar’s Energy Hub – A Model Sri Lanka Can Learn From Qatar has deliberately developed an integrated energy ecosystem rather than relying solely on LNG production. Around the giant Ras Laffan Industrial City and the North Field developments, it has attracted engineering companies, technology providers, service contractors, financial institutions, training centres, and […]

Dr. Sarath Obeysekera Prepared by: Dr. Sarath Obeysekera Chairman – Advisory Board on Offshore and Marine Industry Development Under the Export Development Board (EDB), Sri Lanka Fabweld Academy (Pvt) Ltd 1. 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). […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  NVQ Level 3 (National Vocational Qualification) is an intermediate vocational qualification that certifies a person is competent to perform skilled work independently. In Sri Lanka, it is awarded under the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) Framework, which is regulated by the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC). For welding, an NVQ Level 3 […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Sovereign Project | 60010-001 ADB Must Think Beyond Containers: Make Trincomalee the Offshore Industrial Capital of the Indian Ocean and Galle as a high end marina  The Asian Development Bank’s initiative to update Sri Lanka’s National Port Master Plan presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the country’s maritime future. If this exercise […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  AI Resources  Continuous aeration and oxygenation have been successfully used in many countries to improve polluted lakes, although they are usually combined with reducing sewage and nutrient inflows. Aeration alone is not a permanent solution if pollution continues. Some notable examples are: Lessons for Beira Lake For Beira Lake, continuous solar-powered aeration […]

Regards Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Dr Sarath Obeysekera At present, the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLRDC) has proposed intercepting polluted stormwater and sewage entering Beira Lake by constructing a perimeter pipeline to collect these discharges and divert them for appropriate treatment or disposal. The proposal also includes desludging and dredging the lake to remove contaminated sediments accumulated over many […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera This is for patients who intend to undergo spinal decompression surgery as marketed by done surgeons in Sri Lanka Ask these questions   A patient underwent spinal stenosis surgery at a hospital in Singapore. The surgeon performed a minimally invasive decompression at three levels: L2-L3, L3-L4, and L4-L5. After the operation, only […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera News item Daily FT https://www.ft.lk MSC in talks to acquire stake in Hambantota Port 6 days ago — (MSC) is in discussions to acquire a significant stake in Hambantota International Port as part of a broader strategy to expand its port …     How can MSC invest in Hambantota when chinese company owns 85% […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera Mr. Nahil  has stated that, having served as Chief Engineer at Colombo Dockyard, he is qualified to advise on the Beira Lake restoration project. I understand that one of the proposals under discussion is to pump seawater into the lake to flush out the contaminated water. As ex chairman Sllrdc and CEO […]

By A Ranasinghe  Tuesday, 14 July 2026 05:34 –      – 34  For months, the nation’s attention has been riveted on the construction industry’s deepening crisis. Contractors lament labour shortages, escalating costs, delayed payments, and abandoned projects, while the proposed importation of 7,500 skilled foreign workers is being hailed as a solution. But are we treating the […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera From Labour Export to Industrial Growth While listening to a popular radio station broadcasting lively baila music enjoyed by many young people, I heard a cheerful young announcer promoting foreign employment opportunities. The advertisement encouraged young Sri Lankans to seek overseas jobs as cooks, nurses, motorcycle riders, masons, carpenters, steel bar benders, […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  For a modern Chinese shipyard building a merchant vessel of around 1,000 tonnes of fabricated steel, the productivity of welders and fabricators is significantly higher than in most South Asian yards because of extensive automation, panel lines, robotic welding, and block Fabricator (Fit-up):
0.8–1.5 tonnes per man-day Welder:
0.5–1.0 tonnes per man-day (depending on […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  In 1970, I travelled to Oslo, Norway, to work in the offshore oil and gas industry. At that time, there were very few Sri Lankans in Norway. Besides myself and one other Sri Lankan engineer, only a handful of Sri Lankans worked in technical assistant or clerical positions. Occasionally, one would come […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  https://adaderana.lk/news/cmrddx0sv000b356q294bse8d The reported proposal to pump seawater into Beira Lake as part of its restoration has generated considerable public interest. While improving the water quality and reducing pollution are commendable objectives, introducing seawater into what has long functioned as a predominantly freshwater urban lake raises important environmental, engineering and economic questions that […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  https://www.ft.lk/front-page/BYD-s-global-leadership-visits-Sri-Lanka-as-brand-deepens-regional-commitment/44-794333 The recent visit of BYD’s global leadership to Sri Lanka and the warm reception accorded to them at the airport has attracted considerable public attention. BYD is undoubtedly one of the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers, and its growing presence in Sri Lanka reflects the global shift towards cleaner mobility. The […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  The final-year Mechanical Engineering curriculum at the University of Moratuwa is one of the strongest engineering programmes in Sri Lanka and is accredited by the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) and internationally recognized under the Washington Accord. The final year emphasizes design, manufacturing, energy systems, research, and industrial applications.   Typical […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera The recent violence at Negombo Prison, which prompted concern from the United Nations and renewed calls for comprehensive prison reform, should not be viewed merely as an isolated security failure. Rather, it should be recognised as evidence of a correctional system that requires structural transformation. For decades, Sri Lanka’s prisons have struggled […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9w2227j5rno Recent reports from prisons in both the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka reveal a disturbing reality. Overcrowding, inadequate facilities, staff shortages, deteriorating infrastructure, prison violence, and the rapid spread of information through social media have exposed long-standing weaknesses in prison administration. Prisons are intended to protect society while rehabilitating offenders. Instead, […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/President-Dissanayake-to-visit-France/108-343915 President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s forthcoming visit to France offers an opportunity that extends well beyond strengthening diplomatic ties. While discussions with global shipping giant CMA CGM are undoubtedly important, Sri Lanka should also use this occasion to position itself as a regional hub for the marine, offshore and energy industries. The […]

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Port-City-mulls-sandbox-to-trial-labour-reforms/44-794268 This article raises a questionAbout the fact that many western and middles eastern has a per perception that  Chinese government or Chinese company owns or holds proxy for the whole land hence may be reluctantMore publicity should be given with a sovereign guarantee Note  This article  highlights an issue that receives […]

By Sarath Obeysekera Trincomalee Harbour is widely regarded as one of the finest natural deep-water harbours in the world. Its strategic location, extensive waterfront, and proximity to international shipping routes make it an ideal location for developing a world-class marine, offshore, industrial and energy hub.Yet, despite decades of discussion, large-scale investments in shipbuilding and ship […]

Srinath Fernando JP Srinath Fernando JPLLM (UK) LLM (COLOMBO)No. 7/1, 4th Lane Rawathawatta MoratuwaTel 072 0622 482 21st October 2025 His ExcellencyAnura Kumara DissanayakePresident of Sri Lanka Your excellency I am writing to inform you that I have had the privilege of being employed in the oil and gas industry for around two decades. I […]