Sri Lanka Coast Guard

The Sri Lanka Coast Guard was first established in 1999, when 75 servicepersons were recruited Officers, Sergeants and Mariners; at the same time, construction of vessels for the coast guard began at the Neil Marine and Ceynor boatyards. On 1 August of the following year, the cabinet approved a paper appointing a retired Naval officer, Lieutenant commander C. R. Bulegoda Arachchi, as head of the Coast Guard. The government then began drafting the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Act based on counterparts from other nations in the region. 2001 saw the basic training of Coast Guard personnel begin at the navy's base at Welisara, SLNS Gemunu; professional training took place at the Japanese Coast Guard Training Center in Tokyo. Six small vessels for the SLCG were launched at the fishery harbour in Beruwala: Coast Guard Vessel Mahiraja was put in charge of search and rescue, CGVs Ruhunu and Maya were assigned to the protection of coastal fisheries, and CGVs Kadira, Giruvaya and Maagama were placed on general duty. Less than a year later, on 31 March 2002, the newly elected government decided to abolish the department, transferring all assets and personnel to the Coast Conservation Department. In 2009, the Minister of Defence President Mahinda Rajapaksa presented a cabinet paper suggesting the reestablishment of the Coast Guard, leading to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Coast Guard Act, No. 41 of 2009 being enacted by parliament on 9 July 2009. The Sri Lankan Government also placed a $180 million order for three 85-meter offshore patrol vessels from Colombo Dockyard in 2017, capable of both deep- and shallow water operations. ==Role and responsibilities==

Part II of the Coast Guard Act lists the following as functions of the SLCG: • Prevent illegal fishing in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and protect fishermen, rendering whatever assistance is needed at sea, • Assist the Sri Lanka Customs and other authorities to combat anti-smuggling and anti-immigration operations, • Prevent and manage piracy, • Cooperate with law enforcement and the armed forces in anti-terror measures in the maritime zones and territorial waters of the country, • Prevent the cross-border movement of narcotics by sea, • Assist in ensuring the safety of life and property at sea, • Participate in search and rescue operations in times of natural catastrophe and assist in salvage operations after such catastrophes and other accidents at sea, • Assist in the preservation and protection of the maritime and marine environment, including the implementation and monitoring of measures required for the prevention and control of marine pollution and other disasters which occur at sea, and in the conservation of marine species, • Disseminate information including warnings by radio or any other means in times of natural catastrophes, and • Perform any additional/auxiliary functions that may be temporarily assigned to it by the State. In order to carry out these functions, the Coast Guard is given the authority to: Image:|Lifesaving post, Balapitiya Image:Wellawatta.jpg|Lifesaving post, Wellawatta Image:Slcg001.jpg|Turtle conservation project ==Rank structure==

The Sri Lanka Coast Guard's rank structure closely follows that of the Navy. ;Commissioned officer ranks ;Other ranks ==Equipment==

Current vessels Vessels belonging to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard bear the prefix "CG". ==References==