Sri Lanka’s gaps in maritime domain awareness and marine research is slowly being plugged by friendly nations. Last weekend, visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced that the Japanese Government would offer Sri Lanka a vessel equipped for underwater surveys, which would aid in capacity-building to conduct hydrographic research and chart Sri Lanka’s maritime domain. During her speech, the visiting Japanese Foreign Minister stated: “Japan and Sri Lanka are both island nations surrounded by the sea. Japan intends to further strengthen cooperation with Sri Lanka in the maritime domain in order to realise a ‘free and open’ Indo-Pacific. In this regard, based on a request from Sri Lanka, I have conveyed to Minister Sabry that Japan will offer a vessel equipped with sonar to be used for compiling maritime charts.”

The request had been made to Japan during its Foreign Minister’s visit last July, by President Wickremesinghe. Similar requests to aid Sri Lanka to build up its sovereign capacity had been made to several countries including India, the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia, it is reliably learnt. 

Sri Lanka had long overlooked its capacity for ocean science research, ocean mapping for navigation and resources, and maritime domain awareness, due to poor policy formulation, politicisation and lack of understanding of the topic in the upper echelons of governance. The controversial arrival of Chinese Satellite Tracking vessel, Yuan Wang 5 in August 2022 and its diplomatic fall out lit a fire under the Sri Lankan seat of governance, causing the island nation to rethink its approach. In the wake of Yuan Wang 5 incident, and unprecedented diplomatic pressure regarding a number of follow up visits by Chinese Marine Scientific Research (MSR) vessels to Sri Lankan waters for joint surveys, eventually led to the Government announcing a one-year-long moratorium for foreign research vessels to enter Sri Lankan waters, and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for the purpose of conducting surveys. Sri Lanka also introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to vet requests by foreign military and research vessels and aircraft for diplomatic clearance to enter Sri Lankan ports or conduct surveys.  

Since late 2022, having being caught between a rock and hard place, with foreign vessels carrying out research, and trying to address concerns which were raised on who has control and access to the data generated from such surveys, due to the possible military application which can be derived from them, Sri Lanka had in late 2022 decided to pursue a rapid programme to build sovereign capacity. Sri Lanka’s marine sciences authority was found lacking in administration, and control of research data by the Government last year, triggering the State to establish a National Hydrographic Office (SLNHO) at the Welisara Naval Complex in December last year. The new unit is under the purview of the Ministry of Defence. The newly established office was tasked with effectively overseeing hydrographic surveyors and hydrographic surveying operations. This year, the Government updated outdated legislation related to hydrography, with the enactment of the new National Hydrographic Act. As of now, Sri Lanka lacks modern seagoing hydrographic and oceanographic capacity and lacks a suitably-equipped vessel capable of engaging in such missions. The Sri Lanka Navy has also repeatedly raised the issues of its underwater blindness with the government. All these dynamics are at play while the geopolitical contention in the Indian Ocean, between regional and global power are on the rise, putting significant strain on smaller littoral nations to maintain strategic autonomy. Sri Lanka, neck deep in economic crisis and poor governance, has reached out for help. And Japan has answered, first.  

It is learnt that Japan is not the only country keen to help, many are worried about Chinese MSR inroads to the Indian Ocean region. It is reliably learnt that several nations have offered training and equipment to help Sri Lanka build its sovereign capacity. Responding to a question, State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon acknowledged that Sri Lanka had been in discussion with Japan on capacity building since last year and thanked the Japanese Government for its generous assistance.

However, while receiving support from friendly nations, Sri Lanka must first put its house in order. Sri Lanka needs a whole of government approach to formulate a national policy regarding how it will deal with the vast ocean and the domain it have sovereign and economic rights to. There also need to be a streamlined set of national maritime goals which all state and academic stakeholder needs to work towards. New mechanism, and where necessary, expertise will be needed to formulate national marine spatial plan, from which a national hydrographic survey plan should be prepared. Furthermore, the Government must come up with a robust, multi-year, national marine sciences survey plan with clear goals, and with roles and tasks clearly demarcated. None of this will help, if the Government continues to throw dimes at an issue which needs to become funding priority. Sri Lanka spends pittance on research, be it academic or security related. That needs to change. Sri Lanka need to understand that without credible research, our marine domain will continue to be beyond our reach.