4 Chinese vessels in Indian Ocean region. Is Colombo set to host spy ships again

As India gets ready to hold missile testing operations, two Chinese spy vessels are reportedly cruising in its backyard, raising questions about their intentions and destinations.

This comes after Sri Lanka revealed it amended its previous stance on research vessels to allow them for replenishment. Given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request to the Sri Lankan President to consider India’s security concerns, it’ll be intriguing to observe whether the Chinese surveillance ships halt at Colombo.

Sri Lanka recently also authorised a German research vessel to make a port call in Colombo for replenishment. The move drew criticism from China, highlighting Colombo’s staggered stance after the country turned down Beijing’s request to dock a research vessel, Xiang Yong Hong 03.

Open-source maritime tracking data reveals that there are not one but at least four Chinese research ships meandering in the Indian Ocean. India Today’s OSINT team tracked the movement of the spy ships ahead of India’s scheduled missile launch tests in the Bay of Bengal.

Previously, India cancelled a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), signalling the deactivation of a scheduled March 13 missile test over the Bay of Bengal. The area covered by the NOTAM spans 3,550 kilometres, leading experts to conjecture that the test might have involved K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Although the official reason for the postponement of the missile test has not been disclosed, there is speculation that spy ships are trying to monitor India’s missile test operations.

Subsequently, two new NOTAMs were issued, covering the period from March 26 to 28 and April 3 and 4, for air exercises within a range of 380 kilometres and 1,680 kilometres near the coast of Bhuvaneshwar and Abdul Kalam Island. People’s Liberation Army vessels are notorious for picking up acoustic signatures of submarines as well as peek into the test firing of missiles off the Integrated Test Range at Abdul Kalam island in an attempt to link the coordinates with Chinese spy satellites.