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Mystery over Italian patrol boat cleared
The detention by the Customs last week of a consignment containing a patrol boat has taken a new turn with the Foreign Ministry claiming that it was a donation to Sri Lanka by the Italian government.

The boat was meant to strengthen Navy patrols to detect illegal migration.
A breakdown in communication between the government and the Italian embassy in Colombo had led to the detention of the patrol craft, The Sunday Times learns.

“We have now been instructed by the Defence Ministry to hand over the patrol craft to the Navy after verification from the Italian embassy,” Chief Preventive Officer U. Sumathipala told The Sunday Times.

The patrol craft was donated by Italy after Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Rodney Perera had made an appeal on the need to strengthen the Navy to patrol the seas more effectively to prevent illegal migration.

During the past three years most vessels detected carrying illegal migrants were found to be transporting persons to Italy. The Italian Interior Ministry had informed the Sri Lanka embassy in Rome that the patrol boat CP 372 had been loaded on to a ship leaving Livorno Port on February 12 and was scheduled to arrive in Colombo on February 28.

The letter also noted that the Italian embassy in Colombo would be in charge of the official handover of the boat to the local authorities. The Sunday Times learns that the Sri Lanka embassy immediately upon receipt of the Interior Ministry communication marked it for the attention of the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Navy Commander.

But last week, the Customs detained the consignment claiming that proper details of the consignee had not been declared and called for the Navy’s assistance to help in the investigations, unaware that it was going to be a donation to the Navy. The Customs were also not informed of the arrival of the boat.

The Sunday Times last week reported the detention of the consignment. Early this week the shipping agent had submitted a letter confirming the consignment was for the Italian embassy. Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda was asked to take it over, thus ending the confusion.

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