Three fishermen, all of them hailing from Rameswaram, have been admitted to the Ayampilly Government Hospital with minor injuries after the fishing boat they were on was hit by an unidentified ship in the early hours of Saturday. The injured fishermen have been identified as Arumughan, 58, Pandyan, 52 and Subhan, 57.
Sources in the Fisheries Department said that the fishermen were found in a state of shock and injuries were minor. The bow of the fishing boat ‘Sylvia’ snapped on impact of the collision with the ship. However, the boat was in a condition good enough to sail back to the Munamabam fishing harbour. The boat belongs to Munambam native Franco Panakkal.
Department sources said the accident was reported around 12 midnight on Friday, 14 nautical miles off Mangalore. It is suspected that the vessel, registered in Singapore, was involved in the accident. The vessel had reported the incident. Fishermen said they could not identify the vessel in the dark as it sailed off from the site.
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Meanwhile, Coast Guard sources said there seemed to be some inconsistencies in the place and time of the incident as reported by the ship and as related by the fishermen. “This is being verified by the police and the Fisheries Department,” the sources said.
There were 11 fishermen on the boat that left Munambam on March 23 on an expedition. Eight of the fishermen hailed from Kolachal and neighbouring areas in Tamil Nadu, while three of the other workers were from other States.
Fishers union Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedhi said Kerala coast had become a venue for frequent accidents. Saturday’s accident was the third in six months, said president of the Vedhi Charles George. Three fishermen were killed and nine went missing after a merchant vessel and a fishing boat ‘Oceanic’ collided off Munambam in the first week of August last year. In another incident a fibre boat ‘Divine’ was hit by a merchant vessel in which there was no death or serious injuries, Mr. George said.
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The union called for immediate government intervention as well as coordination among maritime safety agencies for better security for fishermen.