{"id":151994,"date":"2025-09-15T13:53:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=151994"},"modified":"2025-09-15T13:53:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:53:30","slug":"successive-governments-in-sri-lanka-have-failed-to-implement-blue-economy-based-development-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/09\/15\/successive-governments-in-sri-lanka-have-failed-to-implement-blue-economy-based-development-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Successive governments in Sri Lanka have failed to implement blue economy based development program\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr Sarath Obeysekera<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

What can be done ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  Chairman EDB Advisory Board to develop Marine and offshore Industry <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 1 Establish a National Blue Economy Authority (NBEA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Why: Today, responsibilities are fragmented across Fisheries, Ports, Environment, Tourism, and Energy ministries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Action: A single statutory body under the President or Prime Minister to coordinate policy, licensing, research, and investor facilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Model: Similar to Seychelles’ Blue Economy Department or Mauritius Ocean Economy Unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Create a National Marine Spatial Plan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Map Sri Lanka’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), coastal waters, shipping lanes, fishing grounds, offshore wind\/oil\/gas blocks, and marine biodiversity areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 This gives clarity for investors and prevents overlap and environmental damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Partner with UNDP, World Bank, and IMO for technical support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Prioritize High-Value Marine Sectors<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short term (2\u20135 years):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Port-led development (ship repair, bunkering, offshore support bases in Trincomalee, Hambantota, and Colombo).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Aquaculture and sustainable fisheries (tuna, shrimp, seaweed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Marine tourism (cruise berths, diving, whale watching hubs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medium\/long term (5\u201315 years):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Offshore renewable energy (wind, wave, ocean thermal).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Deep-sea mineral exploration (in compliance with UNCLOS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Marine biotech (pharmaceuticals from marine organisms).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Financing Mechanisms<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Issue “Blue Bonds” or partner with development banks for concessional funding (Seychelles raised USD 15M via a Blue Bond).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Establish a Public\u2013Private Partnership (PPP) platform for marine infrastructure and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Incentivize Sri Lankan diaspora investment with tax breaks or co-investment schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Skills & Technology Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Set up marine vocational training centers (welding, ship repair, offshore oil & gas support, renewable energy technicians).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Partner with universities to create blue economy degree programs and research labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Offer scholarships\/apprenticeships in countries with advanced marine sectors (Norway, Singapore).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 Modernize Legal & Policy Framework<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Update Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act to include sustainability quotas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Fast-track licensing for aquaculture, renewable energy, and shipyard developments with clear environmental safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Enforce anti-IUU (Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated) fishing regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 Regional & International Partnerships<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Leverage Sri Lanka’s role in IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) and IMO to attract technical and financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Build joint ventures with India, Japan, and EU for shipbuilding, port management, and marine R&D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Negotiate better fisheries access agreements with international fleets to ensure fair benefit-sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 Public Awareness & Stakeholder Engagement<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 A blue economy cannot succeed without local fishermen, coastal communities, and SMEs being partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Create community co-management areas and benefit-sharing mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Launch a nationwide campaign explaining why the blue economy matters for jobs, food security, and climate resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 Governance & Anti-Corruption Safeguards<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Transparent tendering and monitoring systems to prevent the kind of rent-seeking and political capture that has plagued past marine projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Independent auditing of blue economy funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 Pilot Projects to Show Quick Wins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Modern fish landing and cold storage hubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 A designated offshore lay-up and ship repair facility in Trincomalee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Seaweed farming cooperatives for export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 A marine tourism corridor with high standards (Maritime museums, diving parks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka already has the geography, the people, and the legal rights (over 500,000 sq. km of ocean area). What it needs is centralized coordination, investor-friendly policies, and skill development. A few visible successes (Trinco offshore yard, Hambantota bunkering hub, or seaweed export) can unlock the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regards<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Sarath Obeysekera<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr Sarath Obeysekera What can be done ? Dr Sarath Obeysekera  Chairman EDB Advisory Board to develop Marine and offshore Industry   1 Establish a National Blue Economy Authority (NBEA) \u2022 Why: Today, responsibilities are fragmented across Fisheries, Ports, Environment, Tourism, and Energy ministries. \u2022 Action: A single statutory body under the President or Prime Minister […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sarath-obeysekera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151995,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151994\/revisions\/151995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}