Sri Lanka Takes Control of Iranian Supply Ship, Evacuates Sailors
The government of Sri Lanka has decided to take control of the Iranian supply ship IRIS Bushehr, with the president of the country calling it a humanitarian effort after the ship sought refuge in Colombo. They are evacuating the sailors from the ship and will move the Bushehr to a remote port in the northeast of the country.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka reported that they had carefully discussed the situation, emphasizing that the country remains neutral in the current war in the Middle East. He said that there had been discussions with the Sri Lankan Navy and the captain of the Iranian ship, as well as the embassies of Iran and the United States.
“We have to understand that this is not an ordinary situation,” the president said during a briefing on Thursday night. “It’s a request by a ship belonging to one party to enter into our port. We have to consider that according to the international treaties and conventions… Thus, we have adopted a very clear position. We do not act in a biased manner towards any state, nor do we submit to any state. We are a sovereign and independent state. As a government, we have a responsibility regarding our seas, a responsibility regarding our state, and a responsibility towards our people.”
Sri Lanka indicated that it was prepared to take custody of both the crew and the vessel, subject to agreements and understandings reached between the parties.
The president said they had received a request from the ship to enter the Port of Colombo and that they were subsequently informed that one of the ship’s engines had suffered damage. He said the decision, however, was that retaining the ship in Colombo, the country’s main commercial port, “carries the risk of adversely affecting our maritime industry.”
The decision called for evacuating most of the personnel aboard the Bushehr aboard a boat that was placed alongside on Thursday night. A total of 208 people, including 53 officers, 48 senior sailors, 23 sailors, and 84 cadets, were landed and processed by immigration and received a medical check. They are being moved to a navy camp in Welisara, about 10 miles outside Colombo.
The Sri Lankan Navy has boarded the Iranian ship and is working with 15 crewmembers who remained aboard to help translate and provide information. The vessel will be moved to the Port of Trincomalee, where it will remain indefinitely.
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Commissioned in 1974, the vessel is 108 meters (354 feet) in length and 3,300 dwt. It was believed to have been dispatched from Iran to resupply the frigate Dena, which the U.S. sank on Wednesday. The supply ship had then anchored about 10 nautical miles off Colombo and made the urgent request on March 4 and 5 to enter the port.
Iranian officials have not commented on the situation. They thanked Sri Lanka for its rescue and recovery efforts for the crew of the Dena. The Sri Lankan Navy rescued 32 survivors from the sinking and also recovered the bodies of 84 sailors. It was searched for additional survivors or victims with the aid of the Indian Navy.