The Sri Lanka Navy, having taken over the duty of facilitating On-board Security Teams (OBST) 16 months ago, earned Rs 3 billion, only from the Galle operations centre, for the Sri Lankan Government to-date. 

The Navy Headquarters in a statement said that the duty undertaken was an extension of maritime security operations in which the Navy got actively involved in keeping our waters safe and secure for maritime commons and freedom of navigation.

“At the existing currency exchange rate, the earnings amount to a whopping Rs 3 billion, accumulated through Galle OBST operations from mid November 2015. The earnings had come across from over 8,181 ship movements only through Galle operations centre,” it said.

The Sri Lanka Navy took over OBST duties following a special directive by President Maithripala Sirisena. The earnings are directly deposited in the Consolidated Fund of the Government.

Sri Lanka Navy is responsible of receiving, storing and issuing of weapons, ammunition and equipment registered with foreign and local On-board Security Teams (OBST) who operate for merchant shipping companies.

Incidentally, the Navy has earned a total of Rs. 3,111,250,178.60, billion to the Government coffers by  8,797ship movements, through all the operations centres, since the day they undertook the duty of facilitating On-board Security Teams (OBST), it added.