By Sunil Jayasiri/Daily Mirror

Colombo, August 21 – The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen has arrived at the Port of Colombo as a port of call though not for research purposes, with its operators assuring Sri Lanka that it will return at the earliest opportunity to carry out a long-awaited marine research survey in local waters, officials confirmed.

The vessel, which sailed from Port Louis, Mauritius, is scheduled to depart for Bangladesh today or tomorrow, carrying two Sri Lankan scientists who will join its research mission there.

Additional Secretary (Fisheries Resource Management) of the Ministry of Fisheries, Dhammika Ranatunga, said discussions are ongoing with the FAO and vessel authorities to reschedule the Sri Lanka survey.

“Cabinet has already approved the survey in Sri Lankan waters. Once we communicated our decision, the UN FAO and the vessel’s authorities agreed to return at the first available occasion to carry out the survey,” Ranatunga told the Daily Mirror.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Prof. Sanath Hettiarachchi, said that the participation of two NARA scientists in the Bangladesh survey would provide valuable training and exposure to advanced research methods and equipment.

The Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, owned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and managed by IMR, plays a central role in the EAF-Nansen Programme. The vessel conducts fish stock assessments, biodiversity studies, and ocean health monitoring in developing countries, serving as a floating laboratory and training platform.

Earlier, the ship had decided to divert to Madagascar instead of Sri Lanka due to delays in Colombo’s approval process, with FAO later warning that the cancellation could cost Sri Lanka over USD 1 million in lost support and jeopardize access to future climate funding.

SOPs for foreign research vessels still pending review

Sri Lanka has yet to finalize new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the entry of foreign research vessels into its territorial waters, despite a committee being appointed earlier this year to address the matter.

In January 2024, the former government imposed a one-year moratorium on all foreign research vessels, citing security concerns over the collection and sharing of sensitive maritime data. The moratorium expired in December 2024.

After the change of government, a committee chaired by Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath was appointed in January 2025 to draft new SOPs that would regulate approvals for such vessels. However, sources said the committee has not yet completed its review.

A senior Foreign Ministry official confirmed that consultations with relevant stakeholders are still underway before the guidelines are finalized. “That process is still going on,” the official said.

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