Colombo, March 6 Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the government has taken over operations concerning the Iranian ship IRIS Bushehr and its crew as a neutral state, as authorities move to bring the crew ashore and relocate the ship away from the country's main commercial harbor.
IRIS Bushehr is an Iranian naval vessel that participated in the 2026 International Fleet Review, a cooperative maritime exercise held in India along with IRIS Dena, which sank off the island's southern coast after a US submarine attack on Wednesday, according to Xinhua news agency.
Dissanayake told a press conference that IRIS Bushehr reported to Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 4, and sought permission to enter a Sri Lankan port.
He said that Sri Lanka, which places great emphasis on humanitarian concerns, handled the situation in accordance with international obligations, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Calling it a non-routine situation because the ship belongs to a party to an ongoing conflict, the president said that officials held continuous discussions with the ship's captain, the crew, and the Iranian Embassy, and decided to place the vessel and personnel under Sri Lanka's care following agreed procedures.
He said that the government decided not to bring the vessel into the Port of Colombo due to commercial sensitivities. Instead, Sri Lanka will transfer the crew to Colombo by naval vessels and then move the ship to the Trincomalee Port area in the country's east.
Dissanayake said that the personnel to be brought ashore include 53 officers, 84 cadet officers, 48 senior sailors, and 21 sailors. They are to be placed at the Welisara Navy Camp in Sri Lanka's Western Province after medical examinations and registration.
After the evacuation, a joint team comprising Sri Lankan naval personnel and 42 members of the ship's crew will sail the vessel to the Trincomalee area, he added.
