Sri Lanka Rescues 40 Iranian Seafarers from Vessels Off Its Coast

Sri Lanka coordinated the rescue of 40 Iranian seafarers who were aboard multiple merchant vessels in international waters off the country's coast, after the crew members suffered unspecified medical emergencies. Authorities facilitated their disembarkation and subsequent return to Iran.

The Iranian embassy in Colombo requested assistance through diplomatic channels after the seafarers fell ill. Vessels arranged by the embassy and local shipping agents transported them to shore, where they were disembarked at the port of Galle, about 126 kilometers from Colombo, on Saturday. According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Thushara Rodrigo, Sri Lankan authorities handled immigration and official procedures, while the embassy covered the costs of the operation. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed that all 40 crew members received medical care and were repatriated early Sunday.

An earlier report from the Office of the Senior Deputy Inspector General of the Southern Province had cited 27 crew members rescued from Iranian tankers carrying crude oil, noting that the Sri Lanka Navy had deployed two vessels to bring them to the port of Galle. Authorities did not explain the discrepancy between that figure and the 40 seafarers later confirmed by the Foreign Ministry, which also did not identify the vessels, owners, or operators involved.

Local media, including the Indian newspaper The Hindu, reported that the seafarers were aboard tankers sanctioned by the United States, as part of Washington's ongoing crackdown on Iranian shipping. The rescued crew members came from 19 vessels in total. Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry had previously stated that it had no immediate plans to provide food, water, or fuel to 19 Iranian ships that remained about 24 nautical miles off the coast, and the medical operation did not extend to broader resupply of those vessels.

Earlier this year, Sri Lanka had already rescued dozens of Iranian seafarers on humanitarian grounds following the sinking of the warship IRIS Dena by a torpedo fired from a US submarine on March 4. The bodies of more than 80 crew members killed in that attack were repatriated in mid-March, while 32 survivors from that vessel and another 208 crew members from a different ship were returned to Iran in April.