Japan Coast Guard (JCG) dispatched three members of its Mobile Cooperation Team (MCT), a special team that provides foreign coast guard agencies with capacity building on maritime safety and security, to Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka from February 12(Sat) to 26(Sat) of 2022 in order to give advice and evaluate a comprehensive training conducted by Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) dealing with Crude oil spill accidents.

Based on requests from the government of Sri Lanka, JCG has periodically dispatched its National Strike Team, a special team against oil and hazardous liquid substance spill incidents, and other staffs to SLCG as short-term experts of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in cooperation with JICA since 2014 so as to make progress in SLCG's capacity of discharged oil control. As the first period of capacity building, JCG provided SLCG staffs with the training of basic oil removal skill in a harbor until 2017. Since 2018, JCG has provided them with advanced technics and knowledge for oil spill incidents in the coast areal as the second period.

This time, MCT members contributed to improving SLCG's oil removal and control capability by evaluating the comprehensive training held on February 17 2022 meanwhile giving advice and instructing them as a final stage of the second period of capacity building.

In addition, the National Strike Team also gave guidance and advices to SLCG in the Evaluation meeting after the training via online from Japan.

It was the first time in two years that JCG dispatched MCT to SLCG due to the influence of Covid-19.

In the comprehensive training, approximately 60 of the SLCG staffs participated in. They adequately performed the training by utilizing the patrol craft and oil removal equipment provided by Japan appropriately. MCT confirmed that SLCG has steadily advanced in this area through rigorous discussion following after the training.

It is important for Sri Lanka which has sea lanes off its coast to improve its capability against oil spill incidents, therefore the government of Sri Lanka highly appreciates and evaluates JCG's capacity building assistance.

JCG will continue to actively work on extending assistance for the capacity improvement of foreign coast guards utilizing JCG's accumulated experiences and achievements in order to strengthen the trust relationship with those countries toward realization of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific.