(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – Sri Lanka, on a request from the Government of The Netherlands will provide security for commercial ships sailing with the Netherland flag against maritime piracy.
The Dutch Government has requested Sri Lanka to provide services of Sri Lankan Navy for the Netherland Navy brigade serving in Indian Ocean off Somali coast on a payment basis.
The Dutch Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) teams offer protection on board against piracy attacks in the Indian Ocean. Most of these attacks occur in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Somalia.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal made by the President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on providing the services between Ministries of Defence in two countries.