Sri Lanka has provided medical assistance to 27 Iranian sailors who fell ill aboard Iranian crude oil tankers anchored off the country’s southern coast, with the crew members evacuated to shore and transferred to a private hospital in Colombo for treatment, according to officials.
Deputy Health Minister Hansaka Wijemuni said Sri Lanka’s response was guided by its international obligations and recognised humanitarian principles, irrespective of the sailors’ nationality, religion or country of origin. He said the assistance had been provided in accordance with international maritime law, as the vessels were outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
The 27 crew members were brought ashore on Friday following intervention by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the Southern Province Senior Deputy Inspector General’s Office. The Sri Lanka Navy deployed two craft to transport the affected sailors to Galle Port, from where they were transferred to a private hospital in Colombo for medical treatment.
The operation involved coordination between the foreign ministry and the navy to bring the sick personnel ashore. The available information did not specify the nature of their illnesses, the condition of individual crew members or how long they had been aboard the vessels before the evacuation.
Wijemuni also referred to an earlier incident involving the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena off the Sri Lankan coast, in which local emergency teams provided medical treatment to injured personnel and assisted survivors. He said arrangements had also been made to repatriate to Iran the bodies of those killed in that incident.
The two incidents were cited by the Deputy Minister in explaining Sri Lanka’s approach to maritime emergencies involving foreign personnel. He said the country’s response was based on humanitarian considerations and established international procedures, rather than the nationality or religious affiliation of those requiring assistance.
Wijemuni said adherence to recognised procedures was important in meeting Sri Lanka’s humanitarian obligations while avoiding unnecessary diplomatic complications. He also stressed that the authorities would continue to respond transparently and in accordance with international maritime conventions when similar incidents occurred.
The latest evacuation involved Iranian oil tanker crew members who were reported to have fallen ill while their vessels were anchored off the southern coast. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs intervened before the navy transported them to Galle, after which they were taken to Colombo for treatment.
Officials have not provided further details about the tankers, the circumstances in which the sailors became ill or the expected duration of their hospital treatment. The information released also did not identify the specific international maritime provisions applied during the operation.
Wijemuni said Sri Lanka would continue to follow international maritime conventions and established procedures in responding to comparable incidents involving people in need of assistance at sea.
