Engine Trouble Delays Transfer of Iranian Vessel to Trincomalee

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka says the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr remains positioned approximately nine nautical miles from the country’s baseline, as an engine malfunction has delayed its planned transfer to the Trincomalee Port, Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa stated.

Responding to questions regarding the delay, Dr. Jayatissa said the ship’s engine problem had been formally reported and the Sri Lanka Navy has stepped in to assist with repairs.

“Once the engine issue is resolved, the vessel will be taken into Navy custody and moved to the designated location,” he confirmed. This aligns with independently verified reporting that the Bushehr had suffered engine failure at sea earlier as well, and offloaded more than 200 crew members following the incident.

“When two factions are at war, we operate strictly as a neutral state. We follow all prevailing international conventions,” he said.

“Therefore, we will not make decisions that advantage one side or disadvantage the other.”

Dr. Jayatissa reiterated that Sri Lanka’s position remains unchanged: all actions, including medical support, crew accommodation and vessel handling, would continue under a transparent framework based entirely on international law, neutrality and humanitarian obligations.