The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka has announced that the Chinese research ship ‘Shi Yan 6’ is set to arrive at the Port of Colombo today (25) for related logistics activities.
The vessel, which has garnered India’s interest, is expected to dock at the Colombo port later in the day. Port authorities have confirmed that access will be granted to the vessel for its logistics requirements.
Earlier this month, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabri had issued a statement, confirming permission for the research ship to enter the port in November.
The arrival of Yuan Wang 05 in Colombo port in August 2022 had raised concerns in India about these high-tech research vessels. India had expressed deep concerns, emphasizing the potential use of the seabed mapping technology of the high-tech ship Shi Yan 6 for Chinese Navy naval operations.
In response, Foreign Minister Ali Sabri clarified that port access permission for Shi Yan 6 had not been granted in October and that discussions were ongoing. He also stressed the importance of India’s national security to Sri Lanka.
