Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that former government of Mahinda Rajapaksa bought two ships at a cost of US $ 70 million causing a massive loss to the government.

Answering a question at the Parliament, he said that one ship has been purchased at $ 35 million.

The government has called for a report on how best these ships can be utilized, he added. They will be worth only $ 40 million at today's value, the Prime Minister also said.

He assured that the government will take the best possible step to utilize the ships in a productive manner.