Our seafarers from Sri Lanka have always volunteered for noble causes to celebrate June’s annual IMO Day of the Seafarer. This year, to reinforce and extend our commitment to the environment both onboard and ashore, a reforestation drive was organized at Bopagama, Attanagalla. Fortunately, Sri Lanka has been one of the more successful countries in managing the COVID-19 outbreak, and the very low rates in June allowed us to undertake the campaign safely. To ensure that the saplings were planted in a sustainable manner, local villagers came forward to provide training and guidance to our team.
After the strict lockdown, the event provided a welcome break for our seafarers to have fun and interact with each other onshore. In true Sri Lankan style, the welcome was warm and the food delicious. To the surprise of villagers, our industrious seafarers quickly learnt the intricacies of pairing the right saplings with the correct location to foster growth. With each sapling planted, a small prayer was whispered for the safety of the courageous souls at sea.
Before heading home, the locals shared the location of their secret waterfall to complete the nature-filled day. At the end of the day, our seafarers donated books to the children of the village, and agricultural equipment to the participating villagers as token of our gratitude.
