Sri Lanka says foreign research ships allowed for replenishment after Chinese protest: Report
Sri Lanka has said it will allow foreign offshore research ships for replenishments at its ports despite a one-year ban on such vessels, a senior official has said after China protested to Colombo for allowing a German survey ship but turning down Beijing's similar request. This is the first time Sri Lanka has officially admitted that foreign research vessels will be allowed for replenishments since President Ranil Wickremesinghe's government imposed a one-year ban on offshore research vessels in December last year after strong security concerns raised by India and the US following the visit of two Chinese high-tech research vessels in 14 months.
«The ban on foreign ships is for research purposes, not on replenishment,» the Economy Next portal quoted Niluka Kadurugamuwa, Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, as saying.
«There was a German research vessel recently for replenishment and Sri Lanka allowed it,» he said.
Chinese Embassy in Colombo has raised strong protest against the move to allow a German research vessel to dock at a port early this month after Sri Lankan authorities turned down a request from Beijing for a research vessel in February.
Diplomats have told the Economy Next that the strong Chinese protest was also because Sri Lanka's ban was implemented after Indian pressure. When the ban was announced, the government failed to specifically reveal its stance on requests for replenishment or crew change for foreign research vessels.
Sri Lanka is in the process of introducing an SOP (Standard
