Merchant ship knocks trawler off Colachel; nine fishermen rescued

MADURAI: In yet another case of mid-sea collision, a mechanised fishing boat carrying nine fishermen capsized off Colachel after being knocked by a merchant vessel on Wednesday.

Fortunately, all the nine aboard the boat were rescued by fellow fishermen in a swift operation.

According to Father Churchill, general secretary of the South Asian Fishermen Fraternity, a group of nine fishermen set off from Colachel on a boat named Paraloga Matha last week. During the course of fishing, a merchant vessel knocked down the boat. Fortunately, another group of fishermen, who were on board a trawler named Roma, on witnessing the collision rushed to the spot and rescued all the members of the fishing boat. Later, the rescued fishermen, who had sustained injuries in the collision, were brought back to Colachel on Wednesday afternoon.

Churchill said, “It has become a daily ordeal for the fishermen to brave several serious challenges and go about their work. Traditional fishing boats lag in technology, but merchant ships, which have radio and radar devices, must act in time and avert such accidents. Ironically, despite injuries to the fishermen and damage to the boat, the marine police at Colachel did not register an FIR. It is the merchant crew’s fault; they should be booked.”

According to Fisheries Department sources, the nine fishermen ventured into the sea on December 4, and the collision happened around 4.30 am on Wednesday. The rescued fishermen have been sent to the Government Hospital in Colachel.

Marine police sources claim there was no proper evidence to prove the collision, hence, no case has been filed.