Australia Boosts Sri Lanka's Sovereign Hydrographic Capability

Colombo (News 1st): Australia formally handed over a state-of-the-art Kongsberg EM2042 shallow water multi-beam echo sounder to the Sri Lanka Navy on Tuesday (18).

The handover was made by Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Paul Stephens, with the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda in attendance.

Small in size, but powerful in potential, the EM 2042 Multibeam Echosounder is efficient, light, robust and reliable: delivering high-density, high-resolution, clean data in the most demanding marine environments.

This advanced hydrographic equipment, funded by the Australian Department of Defence, is expected to significantly enhance Sri Lanka's sovereign hydrographic capability.

High Commissioner Stephens expressed his pride in the handover, emphasizing the importance of the equipment in enabling Sri Lanka to collect critical maritime data independently. 

"For an island nation seeking to expand its blue economy, a sovereign hydrographic capability is a critical enhancement that will allow Sri Lanka to map its ocean floor without the need of assistance from other countries," he stated.

The precise and thorough hydrographic data provided by the Kongsberg EM2042 is essential for the growth of maritime trade, which is crucial for Sri Lanka's economic growth through the expansion and diversification of exports.

The handover marks the culmination of over a year's planning and collaboration between the Australian and Sri Lankan governments.

The cooperation between Australia and Sri Lanka in maritime security is a key aspect of their bilateral relationship, which also includes strong ties in education, tourism, trade, investment, sport, community, and culture. Both nations share a commitment to an open, prosperous, and resilient Indian Ocean region.

"Australia and Sri Lanka are Indian Ocean neighbours and we are both islands in the Indian Ocean. We share a strong commitment to an open, prosperous and resilient Indian Ocean region. As geostrategic competition continues to increase in the northeast Indian Ocean, just as in many other theatres, our two countries are looking for partners we can work with and partners we can trust, and Australia sees itself as a partner of trust and choice for Sri Lanka," said the High Commissioner.

Throughout 2024, Australia demonstrated its support for Sri Lanka through various initiatives, including the gifting of a King Air 350 maritime surveillance aircraft to the Sri Lanka Air Force, providing all-terrain vehicles to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, and fuel support to the Sri Lanka Navy. These efforts were part of Australia's flagship regional defence and security outreach programme, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2024.

The High Commissioner said that in 2025, Australia will continue its support and cooperation with Sri Lanka through ongoing training and education opportunities, the return of Indo-Pacific Endeavour, and continued fuel support to the Sri Lanka Navy to combat transnational crime.