{"id":155240,"date":"2026-03-19T16:42:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T23:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=155240"},"modified":"2026-03-19T16:42:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T23:42:03","slug":"from-soviet-steel-to-sri-lankan-shipyards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/03\/19\/from-soviet-steel-to-sri-lankan-shipyards\/","title":{"rendered":"From Soviet Steel to Sri Lankan Shipyards"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

I returned home after years abroad\u2014hardened not by comfort, but by experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the oil fields of Baku, to the frozen gas lines of Orenburg, to the disciplined industrial floors of Moscow, and further west into the offshore precision of Norway and refinery construction in the United Kingdom\u2014the journey had been long, demanding, and deeply educational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had seen systems that worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had seen men who respected steel, process, and discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then\u2014I walked into a Sri Lankan dockyard. As a consultant hired by a original JVP stalwarts who came out of prison and vacant business manager <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Shock of Reality under state control<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not a workplace. It was a waiting room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers in slippers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cigarettes in one hand, betel in the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Groups gathered\u2014not around work, but around time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting for the lunch packet from the Port kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting for the day to end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting, it seemed, for someone else to care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The yard was cluttered. Tools scattered. Garbage in corners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no urgency. No ownership. No system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I was asked to take over\u2014without real authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First Test: A Damaged Ship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first challenge came quickly\u2014a vessel with a damaged bulbous bow. A serious structural issue. Not cosmetic. Not optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was not the place for guesswork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I called the welding engineer\u2014a man I had personally trained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give me the welding procedure,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He handed me a scrap of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On it, written casually:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welding rod size: 10 to 14.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No mention of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Steel type<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Heat treatment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Welding sequence<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Pre-heating<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Post-weld inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Non-destructive testing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This was not a procedure. This was a gamble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Introducing a Wattoruwa\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    That day, the dockyard saw its first real welding procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A proper WPS\u2014what the workers began calling a wattoruwa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We documented:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Material specifications<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Joint preparation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Welding sequence<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Preheat and interpass temperatures<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Inspection methods<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      We brought in structure where there was none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Not ISO 9000. Not international certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Just basic engineering discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And it worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Resistance from Within<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Change is never welcomed by those comfortable in disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The local officers did not like me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      I was seen as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Too strict<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Too demanding<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Too foreign-trained\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        But I had seen what worked in the Soviet Union system and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        I knew one thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Without discipline, there is no industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        So I pushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Not gently\u2014but firmly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Return as CEO: 1994 after another stint in a state corporation  as CEO<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Years later, I returned\u2014not as a consultant, but as CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This time, I had authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        But more importantly, I had unfinished work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The transformation had begun earlier\u2014but now it had to be completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        And the first rule was simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Discipline Comes First<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Before profits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Before expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Before modernization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Workers report on time<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Proper attire<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Clean workspaces<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Defined procedures<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Accountability at every level<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Because without discipline, even the best equipment fails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          With discipline, even limited resources can succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          A Lasting Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Today, I am told that the dockyard still uses structured welding procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If that is true, then one small wattoruwa\u201d scribbled into existence has lived on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Not as a document\u2014but as a mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Final Reflection<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          From cabbage fields in Orenburg to compressor factories and gas pipelines,and offshore yard in Stavsnger Norway  I learned that systems matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          But more than systems\u2014people must believe in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Sri Lanka does not lack intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It does not lack resources and guidance <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          What it often lacks\u2014is discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          And discipline is not taught in speeches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It is enforced in yards, workshops, and daily work.That was my real job. Not managing ships\u2014but rebuilding attitudes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

          By Sarath Obeysekera I returned home after years abroad\u2014hardened not by comfort, but by experience. From the oil fields of Baku, to the frozen gas lines of Orenburg, to the disciplined industrial floors of Moscow, and further west into the offshore precision of Norway and refinery construction in the United Kingdom\u2014the journey had been long, […]<\/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-155240","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\/155240","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=155240"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155241,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155240\/revisions\/155241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}