North-east initiative to help re-build Sri Lankan coastal communities
One of the earliest - and most practical - redevelopment responses to the Asian tsunami tragedy has been made possible by the fast-tracking of a business development travel grant from Business Gateway International (BGI) and Scottish Enterprise Grampian.
An imaginative grass-roots proposal to help regenerate a part of the devastated Sri Lankan coastal community using North-east seafaring and fishing community knowledge and equipment - possibly including vessels due for EU decommissioning - has just been presented in Sri Lanka by the Stonehaven-based Maritime Rescue Institute (MRI).
During 2004, two directors/trustees of MRI, Hamish McDonald and Ann Laing, had received ongoing strategic support from BGI to help them market their advisory, training and emergency response services in the international maritime rescue market.
With BGI's assistance, MRI had been working with the Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC) in Sri Lanka , helping to set up a local lifeboat institution.
MRI consultants were due to go out to Sri Lanka early in 2005 to deliver some lifeboat training courses, when news of the Indian Ocean devastation broke.
23,000 vessels lost
"We contacted Captain Asitha Wijesekera, the managing director of CINEC, early in the New Year, mainly to see how much damage had been done locally," recalls Hamish McDonald.
The Sri Lankan fishing industry had suffered appalling damage from the tsunami, partly because it struck on a major holiday when most of the vessels and crew were ashore. It is estimated that around 23,000 fishing vessels have been lost, along with large numbers of experienced fishermen and much of the fishing infrastructure.
But, during discussions with CINEC, it emerged that MRI might just be able to play a pivotal role in meeting the challenge of getting the fishing communities back on their feet as soon as possible.
"Coincidentally, MRI also has valuable first-hand experience of co-ordinating fisheries development projects in Africa and the Middle East, and, when we contacted Captain Wijesekera, his immediate response was for us to prioritise our coastal regeneration proposals," said Ann Laing.
Wide-ranging maritime expertise
MRI is best known locally for providing a 24-hour waterborne search and rescue response with twenty volunteers and two lifeboats operating out of Stonehaven.
But the charity also provides wide-ranging international maritime training and consultancy services, drawing on the extensive boat-building, marine engineering and harbour management skills of the North-east fishing community.
"Our proposal is to co-ordinate a grass-roots self-development template within a workable area - with 2000 km of Sri Lankan coastline affected, targeted local support is clearly an efficient way to get things moving as quickly as possible," said Ann Laing.
"We have already had firm pledges of support from sectors within our marine and fishing industries as well as from the Dutch and Icelandic lifeboat organisations. We are also in the process of asking the European Union Fisheries Committee to consider making European fishing vessels due for decommissioning available instead for redeployment solely within tsunami-affected fishing territories."
The two directors spent a week in mid-January in Sri Lanka working with the local community leaders, visiting affected communities, viewing the daunting challenges at first hand and prioritising the activities required for the regeneration project.
Rapid response
"This was one of the most unusual international trade development projects to come our way recently, but, given both the urgency and the potential of the project, we were pleased to push through our support as quickly as possible," said Fiona Ogilvie, International Trade Adviser with BGI.
"When MRI first came to us about a year ago looking for assistance to target the Sri Lankan market, we thought their proposition was a good one, so it was really a case of accelerating our rate of support to suit the changed circumstances."
"We are greatly indebted to Scottish Enterprise Grampian and Business Gateway International - without their prompt support we simply wouldn't have managed to get out to Sri Lanka ," said Hamish McDonald.
"But we will need further assistance to progress the project, and would appeal to other public sector agencies and businesses associated with the marine and fishing sectors to play a part in helping to bring much-needed practical support to these devastated communities."
Contacts: hamish.mcdonald@btconnect.com , ann.laing@btconnect.com , Tel 01569 765768
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