Nearly 20 Iranian tankers stranded off Lanka amid US sanctions
Around 20 Iranian oil tankers are reportedly stranded about 15 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southwestern coast, with several vessels facing shortages of food, fuel and fresh water amid tightening US sanctions and maritime restrictions, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to the report published on Thursday (1), US officials have in recent weeks urged […]
Nearly 20 Iranian tankers are currently stranded approximately 15 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southwestern coast, facing shortages of essential provisions such as food, fuel, and fresh water, according to The Island Sri Lanka. This situation has arisen due to tightening US sanctions and maritime restrictions, with US officials urging Sri Lanka to prevent local vessels from supplying aid to the Iranian tankers and their crews.
The US reimposed a maritime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in July, leading to numerous Iranian and Iran-linked tankers being stranded near Asian countries, including Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Most of the vessels are empty tankers that previously transported Iranian crude to Asia via ship-to-ship transfers, preparing to return to Iran with additional cargo.
US officials have warned Sri Lanka about the potential for secondary sanctions against companies providing services to sanctioned vessels, while shipping companies have reported difficulties in obtaining approval to supply essential items and repair services to the stranded Iranian vessels.
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.
