Sri Lanka faces maritime security threats that are evolving faster than the capacity of the institutions tasked with responding to them, a researcher at the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) has warned, EconomyNext reported.
Shayan Peris, Research and Programme Officer at the Colombo-based think tank, drew attention to a widening capability-action gap. Sri Lanka is responsible for securing an Exclusive Economic Zone of approximately 517,000 square kilometres while also ensuring maritime domain awareness, and faces increasingly complex challenges ranging from trafficking and illegal fishing to cyber threats and marine pollution, the RCSS said in a statement.
“Maritime governance remains fragmented across multiple agencies with little inter-agency coordination, maritime surveillance and enforcement capabilities are limited, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regards research vessels are yet to be finalized, and critical gaps persist in areas such as intelligence fusion, environmental response preparedness, and cyber-maritime contingency planning,” Peris said.
Peris was speaking at The Asia Foundation on “Sri Lanka’s evolving maritime security landscape and the growing range of non-traditional security challenges emerging across the Indian Ocean Region”.
The presentation examined the challenges of transnational crime, illegal fishing, environmental degradation, maritime governance gaps and emerging technological threats shaping Sri Lanka’s maritime domain. It highlighted key issues including maritime drug trafficking, trade-based money laundering, IUU fishing, marine pollution incidents, and the growing strategic implications of cyber threats, submarine cable vulnerabilities, unmanned systems and AI-driven maritime technologies.
It also explored potential entry points for policy engagement and regional cooperation in areas such as maritime environmental governance, fisheries governance reform, coastal community resilience, and maritime policy dialogue facilitation.
The warning lands the same day that the US-donated P628 offshore patrol vessel arrived at Colombo Port for handover to the Sri Lanka Navy under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s patronage. RCSS, whose latest leadership renewal placed Professor Deepika Udagama and Esala Weerakoon as directors earlier this year, has been advocating an integrated maritime governance framework alongside parallel programmes at the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies, which sent 300 officials to France for training.
