Sri Lanka, July 19 -- The country has strengthened its capacity to respond to transboundary marine pollution caused by ships carrying hazardous cargo, fuel oil, marine diesel and plastic waste, and enhanced its capacity to pursue compensation for environmental damage, Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

He was responding to a question on whether the Government had made any progress in strengthening its legal framework and monitoring infrastructure to identify marine pollution incidents and pursue compensation from ships responsible for polluting the country's waters.

Dr. Patabendi said the Ministry's Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) had expanded its monitoring and response capabi...