A US$1 million United Nations-funded initiative to conduct an extensive marine scientific survey in Sri Lanka’s coastal waters is under threat due to the government’s failure to finalize a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for foreign research vessels, according to media reports.
The scientific survey, originally requested in 2021 by the previous Sri Lankan administration, was to be carried out by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) using the advanced research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen. The study, scheduled for 15 July to 20 August 2025, aims to assess the health of Sri Lanka’s marine ecosystems an update urgently required following the last survey conducted in 2018.
Despite multiple appeals from the UN and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry, Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government has yet to authorize the operation. The delay follows the expiration of a one-year moratorium on foreign research vessels, which was introduced by the previous government due to geopolitical concerns raised by India and the United States over visits from Chinese research ships.
In response to the moratorium's end, the current government resolved in January to form a new committee tasked with reviewing and updating the SOP for foreign research vessels. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath stated at the time that the committee, under his leadership, would define the criteria for permitting such vessels into Sri Lankan waters. However, this committee has yet to be established.
A Foreign Ministry official confirmed, the government is yet to establish the committee to formulate the SOP to allow foreign research vessels into Sri Lankan waters.
“(We) did not take (a) final decision. Process is going on,” Herath told EconomyNext.
The lack of action risks forfeiting the US$1 million in UN funding allocated for the survey. Sources familiar with the UN’s communications indicated that the Fridtjof Nansen, currently docked in Mauritius, is ready to deploy. Sri Lankan scientists are expected to join the vessel before its planned arrival in Colombo. After the survey in Sri Lanka, the ship is set to continue to Bangladesh, with Bangladeshi scientists boarding in Colombo.
While the Foreign Ministry has permitted the vessel to dock and facilitate the transition of Bangladeshi scientists, it has not authorized the ship to conduct research in Sri Lankan waters. “Until the SOP is formulated there is no way to accommodate the request,” said a Foreign Ministry official. The official also noted that a committee has now been formed and its first meeting will be held soon.
The Fridtjof Nansen, operated under a partnership between the FAO and national governments, is equipped with cutting-edge technology designed to support the sustainable management of marine ecosystems and resources. Its data is considered vital for biodiversity protection, food security, and marine resource policy-making.
The delay in SOP formulation could not only jeopardize the immediate survey but also impact long-term initiatives. A UN document warns that the cancellation of the mission would result in over $1 million in lost investment and hinder future projects funded by the Green Climate Fund, which rely on the data expected from the survey.
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