The donation was formally handed over by Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage to State Minister of Coast Conservation & Low-Lying Lands Development Mohan Priyadarshana De Silva, and Chairperson of Marine Environment Protection Authority DharshanLahandapura at a ceremony held yesterday(02)
BeachTech Hydro Sweepy beach cleaning machines manufactured by Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG, a company in Germany, are capable of effectively and efficiently cleaning up the plastic nurdles and other types of waste. Another advantage of the machine is that beach clean-up can be done in a safe manner minimizing the human contact with hazardous materials.
These machines are expected to help with the clean-up of plastic waste from the ship X-Press Pearl, which sank off Sri Lanka’s West Coast in May 2021 causing significant
environmental damage. The donation was coordinated by the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore.
The initial discussions on assistance from the Alliance was held virtually with the participation of High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Singapore Sashikala Premawardhane,
Director General/ Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change of the Foreign Ministry Hasanthi Dissanayake, the General Manager of the Marine Environment Protection
Authority (MEPA) Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara, and Alliance representatives Vice President of Projects Nicholas Kolesch, Head of Outreach and Education Kim Stengert, and
Head, Government and Public Affairs Ravi Alfreds.
The coordination effort of getting the machines to Sri Lanka involved officials from the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore, Sri Lanka Consulate General in Frankfurt,
Foreign Ministry, MEPA and SriLankan Airlines. Chairman SriLankan Airlines Ashok Pathirage agreed to transport the machinery from Frankfurt to Colombo on gratis basis and
Regional Manager Sri Lankan Airlines Mohan Meegolle supported by coordinating the arrangements of the airlift. Chairperson/MEPA Dharshani Lahandapura and her team
facilitated both the initial discussions and the processes involved in donating of the equipment.
The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore extends its appreciation to President and CEO Jacob Duer and the team from the Alliance for offering assistance towards Sri
Lanka’s beach clean-up efforts with the donation of BeachTech Sweepy machines and looks forward to working with the “The Alliance to End Plastic Waste”, in furthering
partnerships and building networks to protect the marine environment of the country.
Foreign Ministry Colombo
02 August 2021
