“We have prepared all the necessary measures to deal with the emergency at the Port of Colombo, in view of the current global health issue of Novel Coronavirus,”
Chairman of SLPA – General (Retd.) Daya Ratnayake
Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), General ( Retired) Daya Ratnayake, today (05) joined to inspect the special programme to quarantine and improve the health facilities of the tourists to Sri Lanka arriving on board passenger vessels at the Passenger Terminal of the Port of Colombo.
This special programme has been implemented under the guidance of General Daya Ratnayake – Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). Passengers, if found infected, or found suspected to be infected, isolated for first aid until they are transported to relevant hospitals in Colombo or suburbs. Accordingly, a special isolation cabin has also been built at the passenger terminal of the Port of Colombo. All facilitations and check-ups are conducted causing no difficulty for the passengers arriving at the port from foreign destinations.
The quarantine programme is successfully carried out under strict coordination of Director (Quarantine) of the Ministry of Health – Dr. S.M.Arnald and assistance of Deputy Director Roshan Sampath. All passenger ships arriving at the Port of Colombo are under strict inspection.
The medical reports of the passengers and the crew of the vessels are collected via the ships’ Masters for chek-ups.
‘MV Sun Princess’ called recently, at the Port of Colombo with 1952 passengers and 872 crew members on board, Queen Mary 2 arrived with 2470 passengers and 1425 crew on board and MV Boudicca Nassau called with 583 passengers and 366 crew members on board today were also inspected at the Port of Colombo under this special quarantine programme.
At the invitation of Capt.Mikael Degerlund – Master of MV Boudicca Nassau, the Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) – General Daya Ratnayake and a team of higher Officers of SLPA joined on board the ship for friendly discussions.
There, it was emphasized by the Chairman of SLPA that Sri Lanka Ports Authority as the land lord of the Port of Colombo would work with all parties to meet the challenges of the Novel Coronavirus and to comply with international standards.
“There is a rapid increase in the number of passenger ships arriving at the Port of Colombo. So, it is clear that the Port of Colombo is becoming a favourite tourist destination. In comparison, the SLPA has provided them with required facilities and is planning to upgrade these facilities in near future. In particular, we have prepared all the necessary measures to deal with the emergency at the Port of Colombo, in view of the current global health issue of Novel Coronavirus,” Chairman of SLPA – General Daya Ratnayake said.
SLPA Chairman General Daya Ratnayake also inspected Sri Lankan souvenir and gift shops and outlets for foreign tourists located at the Port of Colombo.
The shop owners said that it was the first visit of an SLPA chairman to inspect their stalls and were pleased to inquire into issues that would give a fresh entry into the Sri Lankan passenger ship industry.
Capt. Athula Hewavitharana – Managing Director SLPA, Mr. D. Upali De Zoysa – Additional Managing Director SLPA, Mr.Saman Devapriya – Chief Engineer (Civil) SLPA, Capt.Nirmal Silva – Harbour Master SLPA, Mr.Nalin Aponso – Chief Manager (communication and Public Relations) SLPA, Capt.Mikael Degerlund – Master of MV Boudicca Nassau, a number of higher officials of SLPA and several representatives of shipping lines also joined the occasion.
