German research ship allowed Sri Lanka port call after Chinese-protest-led clarification
By Shihar Aneez
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka has allowed a German research vessel to dock at the Colombo port for replenishment for the second time following clarification from the country’s foreign ministry in the wake of Chinese protest.
“It’s the same German research vessel that came last month. It came around New Year time when it was returning and the ship was allowed,” a top foreign ministry official said referring to Sri Lanka’s traditional New Year celebrated on April 14.
Another foreign ministry official confirmed the German research vessel’s Colombo port call.
The foreign ministry last month, clarifying confusion related to the ban on foreign research vessels, said Sri Lanka will allow offshore research ships for replenishment at the island nation’s ports despite the one-year ban on such vessels.
The clarification came after a strong protest by China over Sri Lanka allowing the German research vessel to dock in Colombo in early March. Authorities had earlier turned down a request from Beijing for a research vessel to dock at the Colombo port.
This follows a decision by President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government to temporarily halt foreign research ships’ access to Sri Lankan waters in response to strong security concerns raised by India and the United States following the visit of two Chinese research vessels in 14 months.
When the ban was announced, the government failed to specifically reveal its stance on requests for replenishment or crew change for foreign research vessels.
Sri Lanka is in the process of introducing an SOP (Standard Operation Procedure) for handling foreign research vessels and to improve the capacity of relevant officials in handling foreign research ships.
Two Chinese research ships were allowed to dock in Sri Lanka ports within 14 months through November 2023 with one calling for replenishment and the other for research.
Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 arrived in Sri Lanka in October 2023 and docked at the Colombo port, for what Beijing said was “geophysical scientific research” in collaboration with the Sri Lankan National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).
In August 2022, Chinese navy vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked at Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka for replenishment.
Both drew strong Indian protests citing security concerns in the Indian Ocean.
India uses the Colombo port as its main transhipment hub and accounts for around 70% of the total transhipment volume of the port.
-economynext.com
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