There are 15,000 seafarers in
Sri Lanka who bring 500 million US
dollars to the Island Nation and that this can be increased if the number of
effectively trained seafarers can be increased, Executive Chairman Ceyline
Group Ajith Peiris who was speaking during an event held to recognize and
reward its employees was quoted by the Sri Lankan media.
“We
are negotiating with the government to increase the number of Sri Lankan
seafarers to 50,000. At the moment, one per cent of the global seafarers are Sri
Lankans,” he said. It was revealed that the 36 international ships are
completely handled by Sri Lankan seafarers at the moment.
Seafarers
could contribute towards the revival of Sri Lanka’s economy if their quantity
and quality is improved, chief of a private company which manages
ships said.
Ceyline Group is engaged in
managing ships and training seafarers. The company has produced around 1,000
seafarers to date.