A team from the US Department of Energy will visit Sri Lanka next week for a technical study on deploying radiation detection equipment at the country’s port.
The study is part of the US Megaports Initiative, designed to prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive material and beef up American security by screening cargo bound for the US.
“The initiative supports foreign countries in deploying radiation detection capability at seaports too screen cargo for nuclear and other radioactive material,” a statement from the US Embassy in Sri Lanka said Thursday.
Technical resources are being made available to complement the US Container Security Initiative, that insists on cargo scanning at international ports.
The CSI is in place in 19 countries.
Sri Lanka has been systematically upping security at its port and airport, driven mainly by its largest trading partner the United States.
The efforts also come in the backdrop of Sri Lanka trying to work out a Free Trade Agreement