Thousands of small fishing boats were damaged by the tsunami on 26 December. The UN has asked DNV for its assistance in Sri Lanka, to ensure the quality of repairs and newbuildings. This will be a very valuable contribution from DNV, helping tens of thousands of afflicted fishermen in Sri Lanka.

The UN’s FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) has been requested by the Government of Sri Lanka to assist in the repair and reconstruction of the Sri Lankan fishing fleet. These ranges from 15-foot canoes to 60-foot boats, and thousands of boats have been damaged.

Øyvind Gulbrandsen, a UN representative in Sri Lanka says: “We know of DNV’s considerable experience in this field. The UN foresees an immediate need to establish a quality control system for both repairs and construction of fibre reinforced plastic boats in this nation – where fishing is an important trade.”

The DNV principal surveyor Asbjørn Lønmo spent last week at the tsunami hit beaches and in the local shipyards to get an overview of how to assist and how to get an important industry up and running again.

Time to ensure safety
“The damage is total. All the available tools and materials are being used to repair what can be repaired. This is a process that started a few days after the catastrophe, and its incentive has been to allow people to start fishing again as soon as possible,” explains Lønmo.

Instead of focusing on the intermediate repair work, the main focus has to be on newbuildings. NGOs have offered money and thousands of newbuildings have already been ordered.

Lønmo says: “It’s important that this work is not rushed. The amount that can be done to change the quality of ongoing repairs is limited, but there is enough time to ensure the quality of the new boats to be built and the safety for fishermen that will start to operate these boats. My report will focus on the following issues: assessment of structural strength and stability of existing boat types, prequalification of yards and training of personnel, independent supervisors to inspect the work, and further, design of new boat types combining traditional requirements and new technology”

The DNV work has been paid for by DNV itself – free of charge to the UN.

There are no international requirements to class 15-60-foot boats.