Prior to Dena sinking, New Delhi okayed docking of Iranian ships

New Delhi: Prior to the American attack and sinking of Iranian warship Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka, India had allowed Iranian vessels to dock at Kochi, with warship IRIS Lavan reaching the Indian naval facility on March 4.

Sources said Lavan, which has a crew of 183, is currently docked at Kochi, with its crew accommodated at naval facilities. The warship reached India on the same day that IRIS Dena was attacked by an American submarine and sunk off Sri Lanka, with most of its crew perishing.

Dena and Lavan were part of a three-ship Iranian flotilla that had come to the region to take part at the International Fleet Review in Vizag. While Dena was sunk off the Sri Lankan Coast on March 4, IRIS Busheher got shelter by the island nation, with the Sri Lankan Navy taking charge of the ship and accommodating its crew.


The third ship, IRIS Lavan, has managed to reach Kochi without incident. India separated the crew from the ship and gave them accommodation at naval quarters. Following the Indian example, Sri Lanka too did the same, taking crew off the Busheher and taking charge of the ship on March 5.

Sources said the ships had been granted permission to dock at Kochi following a request by Iran. "This request was received on 28 February 2026, indicating that a docking at Kochi was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues. Approval was accorded for the docking on 1 March. IRIS LAVAN has since docked at Kochi on 4 March," sources said.

India had also joined search and rescue efforts following the sinking of Dena, deploying vessels and aircraft after the incident.