Their laments go unheard
KOCHI:With incidents of ships colliding with fishing boats off Kerala coast going up, the safety of fishermen at sea is at stake. There were eight reported instances in the past one year and this has raised questions about the safety of fisherfolk who rely upon the sea for a livelihood.
Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi convener Charles George alleged that the Union and State Governments are least bothered about the safety of fishermen.“There has been an increase in the instances of the collision. The Union and State Governments should initiate steps to ensure the safety of fishermen and protect their livelihood,” he added. According to the fisherfolks, the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) is incompetent in resolving the issues.
“The authorities are still apathetic about the issue despite our repeated requests,” said Traditional Fishermen Co-ordination Committee secretary P B Dayanandan. “We had informed the matter to the government several times after the Enrica Lexie incident. However, they have not initiated a single step”, he alleged.
Earlier, in last year, Panama-flagged merchant vessel Amber L hit a fishing boat Carmel Matha 14 nautical miles off Kochi coast killing three fishermen. The fishermen who were sleeping in the boat after fishing woke up under the impact of the collision and were thrown off into the depths of the sea. Most of them surfaced to cling to the broken wooden planks of the boat. They had alleged that the cargo vessel fled the scene, ignoring their pleas to rescue them.
Two fishermen were injured when the fishing vessel Divine, owned by one Antoniyar Picha of Thiruvananthapuram, was hit by a Thailand-registered vessel, about 20 nautical miles South West of the Munambam Harbour on Sunday morning. In this case, also, the fishermen did not see the ship approaching them as there were heavy rains and wind at that time. All of a sudden, a huge ship emerged out of the waves from behind and scraped past the vessel, throwing two people into the sea.
Dayanandan pointed out that the authorities cited violations of the Maritime Act but had not taken any action. Meanwhile, there were allegations that the fishermen are violating the law by engaging in fishing in territorial waters. “The authorities are blaming fisherfolks. As there was heavy rain and wind, sometimes the men do not get a clear idea about the fishing nets and it may get stuck in the ship,” said Dayanandan.
“As per law, the traditional fishermen cannot cross 12 nautical miles from the coast. In the latest incident, the ship had dragged the fibre boat after the et caught entangled and the ship hit the boat, he added.