Navy brought ashore a distressed fishing trawler

Sri Lanka Navy, in cooperation with Indian High Commission in Colombo, brought ashore a fishing trawler drifted to the Indian waters along with 02 fishermen aboard, on 13th January 2021. The trawler which left for fishing from Gurunagar, Jaffna had carried away towards Indian seas, having gone into an engine failure.

Responding to request for assistance by the Jaffna District Secretariat, through Disaster Management Centre and Office of the Chief of Defence Staff, to locate a one day fishing trawler (Reg.No.1DAY-A-0032ISN) which left Gurunagar on 12th January 2021 for fishing, Sri Lanka Navy initiated swift action to reach out to the fishing trawler that went missing.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) Jayasagara was dispatched to the Kachchativu sea area where the trawler had been ventured for fishing. Consequently, the search and rescue operation carried out by the Naval Ship led to uncover that the fishing vessel had drifted to the Indian waters crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), due to an engine failure. Incidentally, Sri Lanka Navy, with the assistance of Indian High Commission in Colombo, sent off SLNS Jayasagara to Indian waters to fetch the distressed fishing trawler and 02 fishermen aboard.

Upon being towed to Sri Lankan waters, the distressed trawler along with its crew members were handed over to its owner by the Navy. Meanwhile, the search and rescue operation was conducted adhering to health and security guidelines due to COVID-19 concerns.