Sri Lanka, June 3 -- The Cabinet of Ministers on Monday (1) approved a proposal to implement a national contingency plan aimed at strengthening Sri Lanka's preparedness and response to oil spills and hazardous chemical incidents in its territorial waters, Cabinet Spokesman, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced.

Addressing the weekly Cabinet media briefing yesterday (2), the Minister said the initiative was introduced by the Minister of Environment in response to growing risks facing the country's marine environment. "More than 400 vessels pass through the East-West shipping routes adjacent to Sri Lanka each day, while over 5,000 ships call at local ports annually. Authorities have warned that increasing maritime...