• Foreign Min. Vijitha Herath to be chair  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Employment, stated that a committee will be appointed to draft a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for foreign marine scientific research survey vessels.  

Speaking at a media briefing yesterday (22), the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Employment, Vijitha Herath stated that the said committee will be presided over by himself, according to a decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers. He noted that the committee members will be appointed soon, and that the said SOP will also be drafted without delay. 

He further mentioned that the moratorium on foreign marine scientific research survey vessels operating in Sri Lankan waters and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which was imposed by the previous Government, has now been lifted. Foreign research vessels entering Sri Lankan waters will be processed according to the current SOP until the new one is finalised. Addressing certain claims, he clarified that Sri Lanka is not required to consult any other country when granting entry to foreign research vessels.  

In December 2023, Sri Lanka enforced a year-long moratorium on foreign marine scientific research survey vessels operating in its waters and the EEZ. This decision followed a series of visits by Chinese marine scientific research survey vessels alongside concerns raised by India, the United States, and other nations about the purpose of these surveys in the Sri Lankan EEZ, control over the data collected, and potential surveillance of Indian missile and space missions by Chinese State agencies. Sri Lanka also revised its SOP in November 2023 for granting diplomatic clearance to warships, aircraft, and similar survey vessels.