Moratorium on foreign research totally an unwise decision, meant to serve political agendas: Expert

By Kelum Bandara 

The government’s moratorium on foreign research vessels is totally an unwise decision and meant to serve the political agendas only, an expert said. 

Making his remarks during the recent Indian Ocean Security Conference organised by Pathfinder Foundation, former chief hydrographer –Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admiral (Rtd) Y.N. Jayarathna said that when the State does not invest on marine science research, the country’s universities and agencies are totally dependent on foreign collaborations. 

“With no foreign vessel coming to Sri Lankan ports, we lose the port calls which is an economic loss as well as the collaborative marine science opportunities for our next generation of marine scientists,” he said.

Sri Lanka declared a moratorium in 2024 on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighbourhood. 

Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 docked in Colombo port for several days, while in 2022 the navy vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked at Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka. 

The new government also proceeded with the moratorium. Recently, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said that Sri Lanka will complete the standard of procedure (SOP) for handling foreign research vessels within the next two months.