Lanka watches Iranian tankers near EEZ
The government was monitoring vessels reportedly anchored near Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Media Director General Thushara Rodrigo told the media on Saturday. 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. […]
The Island Sri Lanka reports that the government is monitoring Iranian oil tankers anchored near Sri Lanka's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), though these vessels are not within the country's sovereign territory. According to maritime tracking website TankerTrackers, nearly 20 Iranian tankers are currently anchored near Sri Lanka's EEZ following a US naval blockade that has prevented them from returning to Iranian ports.
The website attributes the situation to the blockade and notes that the tankers are not carrying fuel. Concerns have been raised about the safety of the vessels, with an incident in March involving an American submarine allegedly striking and sinking an Iranian vessel near Sri Lanka's coast. However, TankerTrackers clarifies that under international law, the United States cannot attack vessels within the territorial waters of a neutral country, which extends up to 12 nautical miles from its coastline.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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