ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has given particular approval for a United Nation-flagged analysis vessel into the island nation’s water to conduct analysis, a International Ministry official mentioned, after repeated requests from the UN.
Nevertheless, the Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO) which is accountable for the analysis has raised doubts if the ship may very well be scheduled as initially determined attributable to delay within the Sri Lankan authorities’s choice.
The approval for the UN’s Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO) analysis vessel “Dr Fridtj of Nansen” was not given because of the authorities’s delay in formulating commonplace working procedures (SOP) to deal with international analysis vessels.
“The President has given a particular approval for the UN ship as a result of there may be a variety of Sri Lankan curiosity on this,” a International Ministry official instructed EconomyNext.
“However nonetheless the committee has not provide you with the SOP and it’s nonetheless within the course of.”
Sources conscious of the analysis vessel instructed the EconomyNext that the “Dr Fridtj of Nansen” (F. Nansen), a state-of-the-art vessel could now not be obtainable for the analysis concerned with fish inventory and the well being of marine ecosystem in Sri Lankan water as a result of Sri Lanka initially rejected the request final week.
“The ship would possibly nonetheless come to get Bangladesh scientists on board for the same analysis in Bangladesh as scheduled earlier,” one of many sources mentioned, including that the FAO is making an attempt to accommodate the Sri Lankan request after the delayed approval.
Sri Lankan scientists have been anticipated to be onboard final week in Mauritius earlier than it sails to Colombo for marine ecosystem analysis from July 15-August 20 on the request of the earlier Sri Lankan authorities.
As per unique plan, it’s scheduled to sail Dhaka and Bangladesh scientists are anticipated to get into the vessel whereas it’s in Colombo after it finishes analysis in Sri Lanka,
The federal government didn’t permit the UN analysis vessel “pending the event of normal working procedures for international analysis vessels”, a UN doc mentioned.
The cancellation of the go to would incur direct losses of over $1 million to Sri Lanka by the FAO and more likely to cut back the efficacy of upcoming programming financed by the Inexperienced Local weather Fund which might closely depend on the information generated by the F. Nansen,” the doc mentioned.
If the present go to is cancelled, one other wouldn’t be possible till after 2030.
Cancelling the UN analysis vessel’s go to would deprive the nation of essential information important to the federal government’s choice making, damaging the prospects for financial improvement in a key sector of the economic system, the UN has mentioned.
The UN mentioned the vessel is supplied to assist Sri Lanka within the sustainable administration of marine ecosystems and aquatic sources, consistent with the request expressed by the Sri Lankan authorities.
Sri Lanka imposed a one-year moratorium over international analysis vessels amid strain by India and america over Chinese language vessels coming for analysis functions.
Each the US and India have pressed Sri Lanka after two Chinese language analysis vessels got here to the island nation inside 14 months.
The moratorium ended on Dec. 31, 2024, however President Anura Kumara Dissanayake authorities’s cupboard in January determined to nominate a brand new committee to assessment the prevailing SOP and provide you with a brand new SOP to facilitate international analysis ships.
The federal government appointed the committee to look into the SOP solely final week and the primary assembly was held on Thursday (19).
The FAO has coordinated the deployment of the “Dr Fridtj of Nansen” vessel to Sri Lanka following a November 2023 request from the earlier Sri Lankan authorities.
Sri Lanka is dealing with diplomatic challenges in permitting international analysis vessels inside its waters attributable to geopolitical points associated to India and China.
Sri Lanka and China have agreed to signal a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation amid Indian issues over Chinese language analysis ships visiting the Indian Ocean.
In April, Sri Lanka signed a Defence Cooperation MOU which mentioned each neighbour international locations will change data in maritime and different domains on mutual consent with out elaborating.
International Minister Herath in January mentioned Sri Lanka doesn’t must take approval from India or inform the neighbour on go to of any international vessels. Authorities officers have mentioned some earlier governments have maintained such practices to take care of higher relationships with India. (Colombo/June 16/2025)
