The Yuan Wang 6 (YW6), the sister vessel of the controversial satellite tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 (YW5), which docked at Hambantota Port in August, entered the Indian Ocean region via the Lombok Strait in Indonesia on Wednesday (2), it is reported.
The Yuan Wang 5 caused controversy and a diplomatic spat between India and Sri Lanka when the regional giant raised concerns with the island regarding the Chinese State-owned vessel docking at the Hambantota International Port (HIP).
It is understood that Sri Lanka, following pressure from India and the US, decided to rescind the permission granted to YW5 to replenish at HIP. However, Sri Lanka later approved the vessel to call port at HIP following consultation with the parties concerned.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, following the incident, commented that HIP was open to all commercial traffic, stressing that the Sri Lanka Navy and local law enforcement agencies were responsible for the security of the Chinese-funded port, which is now managed by a Chinese firm through a 99-year lease agreement.
According to open-source intelligence analysts and the MarineTraffic ship tracking platform, the YW6 (IMO registration: 9439527) entered the Indian Ocean with no destination port listed as of last evening (5).
This is not the first time that the Yuan Wang 6 has voyaged into the Indian Ocean, with one visit reported early in 2020 that lasted nearly three months.
News reports from India indicate that the Indian Government is keeping a close eye on the vessel.
Meanwhile, some Indian defence commentators have claimed that the YW6’s visit has been scheduled to coincide with a planned Indian test fire of an advanced ballistic missile in its nuclear arsenal.
However, last week China launched the last of the three modules that will comprise its space station into orbit and is expected to launch a number of satellites this month. The Yuan Wang 6’s journey into the Indian Ocean may be linked with its space programme.
Neither India nor Sri Lanka have officially commented on the arrival of the Yuan Wang 6 vessel in the Indian Ocean.