Iranian Navy Supply Ship Is Seeking Refuge in Sri Lanka
Members of the Sri Lankan government confirmed during a session of parliament on Thursday, March 5, that an Iranian Navy supply ship, IRIS Bushehr (422), has made an urgent request for assistance and is seeking permission to dock in Sri Lanka. The request came after the sinking by the U.S. of the frigate Dena, and as Sri Lanka was conducting a search and rescue mission assisted by the Indian Navy.
The 3,300 dwt supply ship is believed to have been dispatched to resupply the Dena as the vessel was coming back from the Indian naval event. Commissioned in 1974, the vessel is 108 meters (354 feet) in length, with Sri Lankan government officials saying there are as many as 270 sailors and cadets aboard the vessel.
The request for urgent assistance and permission to dock in Sri Lanka came while the vessel was reported to be in international waters but within Sri Lanka’s EEZ. A minister told parliament the vessel remains outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, while the media reports said Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was meeting with top government officials to decide what to do.
Some reports are saying the vessel, so far, has been denied permission to enter Sri Lanka’s waters, while another said after about 11 hours it was permitted to proceed to a point about 10 nautical miles off Colombo. Some reports said the ship was being denied docking privileges, while others said it was proposed that the ship would proceed to offload some of the people onboard, which is believed to include cadets, and that the ship would be placed at a secure dock in Colombo. One report suggested the ship would be interned for the remainder of the war.
Sri Lanka has condemned the American and Israeli hostilities and called for a diplomatic solution. It is reported to have consulted the Foreign Minister of Iran, but seeks to stay out of the war.
On Wednesday, Sri Lanka and India received the distress call from the frigate Dena after it was torpedoed. Reports placed the vessel between 20 and 50 nautical miles from the southern port of Galle. The Sri Lankan Navy responded and said the ship had sunk by the time it reached the scene. It reports that 32 Iranian sailors were rescued and taken under tight security to hospitals in Sri Lanka. They are reported to be suffering from burns, broken bones, and other less serious injuries.
Sri Lanka reports it recovered the bodies of Iranian sailors, with the media counts varying between 84 and 87, and is making diplomatic arrangements for their return to Iran. The Iranians said there were 130 aboard the Dena, but Sri Lanka said it believes there were 180 people aboard. It is continuing a search for as many as 60 people.
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The Indian Navy said it dispatched a long-range maritime patrol aircraft to augment the efforts by the Sri Lankans. In addition, its vessel INS Taranigni was operating in the region and instructed to proceed to the location, where it arrived around 1600 local time on Wednesday. The INS Ikshak was also ordered to sail from Kochi, and a second long-range aircraft outfitted with a capability to drop rafts was placed on standby.
The Indian Government, on Thursday, is reported to have made a statement saying it will not be pulled into the war. It strongly denied rumors online and in the media that American forces were using Indian ports.
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