Sri Lanka weighs sanctions risk as about 20 Iranian tankers idle offshore

About 20 Iranian oil tankers are stranded at sea between Sri Lanka and Malaysia, some of them short of food, water and fuel, AsiaNews reports. Citing the Wall Street Journal, it says many are probably empty and cannot return to Iranian ports because of sanctions and wider maritime restrictions. According to AsiaNews, Colombo's chief concern is exposure to US secondary sanctions if local firms service the ships. Sri Lankan authorities have started sharing information on sanctioned vessels with service providers, and the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation has acknowledged the risks. Shipping agents say they cannot arrange crew changes, provisions or fuel, while industry figures say some ships are turning to Indian ports instead.

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