Sri Lankan boat builders’ skills improved
Sri Lanka is one of the most fisheries-dependent countries in the world but also among the top ten countries globally at risk of extreme weather events. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close collaboration with Danusha Marine, organized practical training sessions for Sri Lankan boat builders on 20 & 21 September. The training sessions aimed to increase the boat building skills and contribute to the construction of higher quality and safer boats for small-scale fishers in Sri Lanka in the face of climate change.
A total of 36 boat builders of small-scale fishing vessels and Department of Fisheries inspectors were trained in practical boat building skills for fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) boats. The training contained subjects like setting up of the workshop floor area, mould construction, the preparation of frames, fittings, coating and finishing of the boat surface, quality assurance and general boat construction aspects.
The FAO/IMO/ILO Safety Recommendations for Decked Fishing Vessels of Less than 12 metres in Length and Undecked Fishing Vessels (2012), which contains international construction standards for small-scale FRP boats, was used as guidance, and experiences from the construction of two small-scale fishing demonstration vessels were shared.
The training also paid attention to vessel energy efficiency improvements, using the FAO manual on “Fuel savings for small fishing vessels”; a useful document which was also distributed in Tamil and Sinhala languages to the boat builders. By offering the publications in Sinhala and Tamil, FAO aims to ensure that boat builders in Sri Lanka and other regions where these languages are spoken can access and benefit from the valuable guidance provided.
The practical training was conducted by FAO naval architect/master boat builder Mr Derrick Menezes. It was a follow-up from a training of boat builders and boat inspectors in FRP boat building skills, practices and quality assurance, conducted in 2022.
The training and translation of publications was supported by the FAO – Ministry of Fisheries of Sri Lanka joint project on “Responsible use of fisheries and aquaculture resources for sustainable development” (GCP/GLO/352/NOR), which helps the fisheries sector in Sri Lanka to adapt to climate change and secure sustainable socio-economic fisheries development.