Lanka tracks 11 US-sanctioned Iranian tankers off coast

Sri Lanka's maritime authorities are keeping a watchful eye on a group of 11 Iranian oil tankers that are US-sanctioned and currently situated off the island's southern coast, stated Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath on Wednesday. These tankers were observed in close proximity to the Galle harbor, a location where an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was tragically sunk by a US submarine in March, resulting in the loss of 104 sailors.

Remarkably, Sri Lanka's navy managed to rescue 32 Iranian sailors from that frigate. Iranian vessels have been at a standstill, unable to return to their home port due to the stringent US blockade. According to Herath, the tankers are currently operating within international waters, granting them the freedom of navigation. "These ships are away from our territorial waters… we have no hold on them, nor have we facilitated them," Herath told AFP.

To monitor the vessels, the military deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats outside of Sri Lanka's 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, according to a military official who wished to remain anonymous. The official emphasized that there is no evidence of any ship-to-ship transfer of oil or illegal discharge of pollutants, implying that there is no justification for Sri Lankan authorities to take any action against the tankers.

Many Iranian merchant vessels have shifted east towards the Strait of Malacca and Singapore due to the US sanctions, while several others have remained close to Sri Lankan waters, authorities reported. Sources indicated that Washington had not formally notified Colombo about the sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels.