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 period, we introduced modern welding systems, supported hydropower projects, constructed oil storage tanks, and strengthened fabrication standards. In 1989, I was invited to head the Civil Engineering Corporation, where I further modernized operational systems.

When the Japanese took over Colombo Dockyard, I was reappointed as expatriate CEO. From 1994 to 2001, we elevated Sri Lanka’s shipbuilding technology to a new level before I returned to the UK and Norway to rejoin the oil and gas sector.

But my heart was always in Sri Lanka.

The Galle Harbour Opportunity That Slipped Away

In 2013, I returned to find Galle Harbour idling—an underutilized national asset with immense potential. I proposed developing a yacht building and repair yard. After obtaining Cabinet approval, a Saudi investor commenced development.

However, due to unforeseen religious concerns, the investor withdrew. Subsequently, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority cancelled our agreement and evicted us. A strategic maritime development initiative collapsed—not due to lack of vision or funding, but due to institutional rigidity.

More than 13 years later, Galle Harbour continues to idle.

Mutwal: A Shipyard Born, Then Abandoned

Determined not to give up, I shifted focus to Mutwal (Modera), reviving an idle shipyard with Malaysian investment under MTD Walkers. Thus was born Walkers Colombo Shipyard. We provided a USD 750,000 bond to SLPA and again sought to redevelop Galle.

The proposal was rejected. Years of effort were neutralized. During the economic depression, delayed lease payments led the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation to terminate our lease. Today, the Mutwal yard is silent. Equipment rusts where opportunity once stood.

Trincomalee: Another Vision in Limbo

Later, I was appointed Advisor by the Export Development Board to develop Sri Lanka’s offshore industry. I identified Trincomalee as a strategic maritime and offshore hub. After extensive groundwork, a Cabinet paper was prepared and presented to the Committee of Development Ministers.

Months have passed. No decision.

Investors and professionals who bring international experience are left in a perpetual state of uncertainty.

The Real Crisis: Implementation Failure

Sri Lanka does not lack talent.

Sri Lanka does not lack strategic location.

Sri Lanka does not lack presidential vision.

What it lacks is coordinated execution.

Ministries operate in silos. Approvals move from pillar to post. Agencies such as YDA and CEA take years to grant permissions for initiatives that could generate employment, foreign direct investment (FDI), and technology transfer.

For the past two years, I have been attempting to establish an Advanced Welding Academy in Galle—a center that could transform vocational training and equip our youth with globally competitive skills in welding, fabrication, and offshore construction.

Yet, approvals remain pending.

A Call for Industrial Reform

If Sri Lanka is serious about attracting FDI and developing high-value industries, we must:

• Fast-track strategic industrial approvals.
• Protect investors who bring technology and global markets.
• Establish a single-window clearance system.
• Empower technically competent leadership within ministries.
• Recognize vocational training as a national priority.

Shipbuilding, offshore engineering, and advanced fabrication are not small industries. They are strategic national assets. Countries like Norway, Singapore, and South Korea built prosperity through maritime and industrial excellence.

Sri Lanka has the geography. It has the talent. What it lacks is decisive execution.

After four decades of contributing locally and internationally, I remain committed to building industrial capacity in my motherland. But frustration grows when national assets lie idle while investors and professionals are driven away.

It is time for Sri Lanka to decide:

Will we continue to let opportunity rust — or will we build the future?

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera