It has avoided fulfilling a call to take the sea route off Point Dondra deeper into the sea through an international convention in order to ensure protection of blue whales, international environmental groups point out.

Sri Lanka’s southern sea area is very popular among whale watchers

The deadline for the government to submit a proposal in that regard, to be considered at a UN committee on international maritime activities meeting from 29 February to 04 March, expired on November 27.

At the 29th general conference of the IMO in London that concluded today (02), it transpired that the Sri Lankan government had not submitted the proposal.

Following a study, conducted by local and foreign experts led by Prof. Thilak Priyadarshana of Ruhuna University, it has been recommended that the shipping route be taken 15 nautical miles deeper in the southern sea to prevent risk to lives of blue whales by 95 per cent.

The study found that between February 2014 and April 2015, there had been more than 1,000 incidents of blue whales colliding with ships on the southern seas.

Attempts to contact shipping minister Arjuna Ranatunga and trade and shipping director genereal Ajith Seneviratne for comments were unsuccessful.