Family members of the crew on a coastal sailing vessel submitted a petition to Collector N. Venkatesh on Friday as the vessel had reportedly gone missing as it was sailing towards Male.
The mechanised coastal sailing vessel ‘Maria Irudhaya Robert Vijay’, owned by A. Amala of Fatima Nagar, sailed for Male from Thoothukudi Old Harbour with seven persons – Master P. Ranjit (39) and sailors P. Johnson (52), H. Raja (33), A. Bose (38), K. Antonysamy (70), Anto (58) and Brightwin (39) - and 81 tonnes of fruits and vegetables in the early hours of October 14.
The vessel, which should have reached Male on October 18, is yet to reach its destination.
“Mr. Ranjit, who spoke with the owner on October 15 through mobile phone, could not be contacted thereafter. Hence we submitted a petition to the Collector appealing to him to initiate steps to locate the vessel and the sailors,” said the family members.
Subsequently, the Indian Coast Guard and the Maldivian navy have been alerted.
