Australia delivered essential coastal clean-up equipment to the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) to assist Sri Lanka’s response to the MV X-Press Pearl incident, the High Commission of Australia in Colombo said.
On 16 June, Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka David Holly presented the equipment to Ms Dharshani Lahandapura, Chairperson, MEPA.
The clean-up equipment provided included 11,000 coveralls and 1,000 gloves (manufactured in Sri Lanka by Australian company Ansell), and 30,000 facemasks, 200 goggles, 300 pairs of protective footwear and 200 helmets, valued at 20 million Rupees. At the handover, Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka David Holly said “Australia understands the challenging situation presented by the MV X-Press Pearl incident, and Australia stands ready to assist Sri Lanka”.
“As Indian Ocean neighbors, Australia has a strong interest in the protection of Sri Lanka’s maritime domain against maritime disasters,” the High Commission said.