The Government has no information indicating that Sri Lankan crew members are aboard Iranian vessels currently stationed off Sri Lanka’s coast, according to Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku.
Responding to a question from The Sunday Morning, Kodithuwakku said: “At the moment, we do not have any information indicating that there are any.”
The Merchant Shipping Secretariat also noted that it had received no reports of Sri Lankan crew members serving aboard the vessels. However, attempts to reach the Director General of the secretariat proved futile.
Regarding the provision of essential supplies to the vessels, Kodithuwakku stated that the Government had not made a decision to provide such assistance and that the matter was being handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at present.
He added that the Government could not prohibit private suppliers from providing goods to the vessels, but warned of the potential implications for the companies that chose to do so.
“We cannot prohibit private suppliers from [providing goods]. However, if they engage in such activities, the US could take action against them,” he said, referring to possible secondary sanctions affecting their accounts in the US.
Earlier last week, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Vijitha Herath said that around 47 vessels were located beyond Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical-mile territorial limit, including approximately 19 Iranian vessels, amid navigation difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz.
He rejected claims that the US had pressured Sri Lanka not to provide food or water to the vessels, stressing that the Government’s decisions would be guided by the country’s sovereignty, independence, and neutrality.
Herath added that Sri Lanka remained prepared to intervene on humanitarian grounds, while noting that the Government had not supplied goods to vessels subject to US sanctions. He said that private sector suppliers were responsible for understanding the circumstances and acting accordingly.