By: Staff Writer
August 24, Colombo (LNW): A line of giant Iranian oil tankers idling beyond Sri Lanka’s territorial waters is creating a security and environmental concern for the country, with officials warning that any confrontation involving the vessels could trigger consequences far more serious than a sanctions dispute.
As of late August, 17 Iranian-flagged Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) are believed to be station-keeping just outside the 12-nautical-mile territorial boundary near Galle. The vessels have remained offshore for weeks, with some reportedly stationary since mid-July.
Their unusual presence has attracted the attention of mariners and coastal observers, with the tankers visible from parts of the southwestern coastline between Hikkaduwa and Habaraduwa.
The vessels are suspected of belonging to Iran’s heavily sanctioned “dark fleet”, which is associated with efforts to transport Iranian oil while concealing movements from international authorities. United States against Nuclear Iran and other maritime analysts have identified individual tankers in the offshore cluster.
According to Charlie Brown, Senior Adviser to United against Nuclear Iran, many of the vessels may have completed ship-to-ship transfers in the Malaysian Eastern Outer Port Limits before moving towards Sri Lanka.
Under normal circumstances, Brown said, the tankers would be expected to return to Iran to reload. But restrictions on Iranian shipping have disrupted that cycle, leaving some vessels waiting for conditions to change.
The tankers’ location presents a difficult problem for Sri Lankan authorities. Because they are positioned outside the country’s territorial waters, the Sri Lanka Navy has limited legal authority to board, detain or remove them.
A senior defence official said the Navy was monitoring the vessels through Maritime Domain Awareness systems but would require government direction before taking further action.
The official also raised a more serious possibility: intervention by foreign naval forces.
According to the official, the US Navy has previously boarded and taken control of sanctioned tankers in international waters south of Sri Lanka. The prospect of a similar confrontation occurring off Galle, he warned, could create a dangerous situation if crews were ordered to resist.
Such a confrontation involving crude-oil carriers could produce consequences extending well beyond maritime law enforcement.
The official pointed to the 2020 MT New Diamond disaster as a warning of what could happen if a tanker fire occurred offshore. A collision, fire or armed confrontation involving one of the huge crude carriers could potentially result in an oil spill, placing Sri Lanka’s marine environment and coastal economy under pressure.
The country’s capacity to respond to a major offshore crude-oil spill is also limited. During the MT New Diamond incident, Sri Lanka required external assistance to manage the emergency.
The current tanker standoff has not produced such an incident. Nor is there evidence, according to Brown, that the vessels intend to conduct ship-to-ship transfers near Sri Lanka.
But their continued presence creates a new layer of uncertainty. With the tankers trapped between sanctions pressure, restricted Iranian ports and the limits of Sri Lankan jurisdiction, the vessels remain a potentially volatile maritime presence just beyond the country’s waters.
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