Iranian tankers linger off Sri Lanka

The Government is monitoring vessels reportedly anchored near Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Media Director General Thushara Rodrigo said.

However, Rodrigo stressed that the vessels were outside Sri Lanka’s sovereign territory and that the Government was neither responsible for them nor providing them with any facilities.

According to maritime tracking website TankerTrackers, nearly 20 Iranian oil tankers are currently anchored near Sri Lanka’s EEZ after being unable to return to Iranian ports. The website attributed the situation to a US naval blockade that has prevented the vessels from reaching their home ports.

TankerTrackers said about 13 Iranian-flagged oil tankers, along with several sanction-evading vessels commonly known as the “shadow fleet”, were currently anchored near Sri Lanka’s EEZ. It added that the vessels were not carrying fuel.

The website also raised concerns over the safety of the vessels, citing an incident last March in which an American submarine reportedly struck and sank the Iranian vessel IRIS Dena about 19 nautical miles off the Sri Lankan coast.

However, TankerTrackers noted that under international law, the United States could not attack vessels within the territorial waters of a neutral country, which extend up to 12 nautical miles from its coastline.