Cargo ship rams boat off Tamil Nadu coast, two fishermen thrown out

Cargo ship rams boat off Tamil Nadu coast, two fishermen thrown out
Press Trust of India Oct 24, 2021 https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/cargo-ship-rams-boat-off-ta...

A cargo ship collided with a fishing boat off Tamil Nadu coast and in the impact, two fishermen, part of a crew of 17, were ‘thrown out’ and the Coast Guard rescued them on Saturday.

The collision was due to ‘negligence’ and it caused injuries to 17 fishermen besides ‘damage’ to the boat, South Asian Fishermen Fraternity general secretary Father Churchill claimed, demanding compensation for the fishermen. The Kanyakumari district-based SAFF chief urged the government to take steps to get appropriate compensation on par with international standards for the fishermen as well as damages for the boat.

“The Panama-flagged cargo ship Navious Venus, bound for Mumbai from Singapore, did not stop after ramming into the fishing boat. It was due to sheer negligence,” he said and urged authorities to seize the ship and arrest its captain.

“Such incidents continue to happen as there is no strict action. If a vehicle driver causes an accident on road he is arrested. Why this is not followed in the case of a ship? Why this indifference” he asked.

In a representation to the Directorate General of Shipping seeking legal action, the SAFF said on October 22, as many as 17 fishermen set out for deep sea fishing in the mechanised boat ‘Shijumon’ from Colachel government fishing harbour. The fishing boat belonged to a fisherman, Rajamani from Kotilpaadu of Kanyakumari district.While the fishing boat was around nineteen nautical miles from Colachel, the cargo ship collided with it and caused damage, resulting in injuries to fishermen two of whom were thrown out. Immediately, the master of the boat informed the Coast Guard about the collision and requested assistance and CG personnel reached the spot immediately.

The two ‘thrown out’ and injured fishermen were K Chinnathurai and P Arulraj, aged 50 and 60 respectively, and they were taken to Thiruvananthapuram government medical college hospital for treatment.”We kindly request your good office to take necessary and immediate legal action against the ship Navious Venus which collided with fishermen boat Shijumon and caused injury to the fishermen and heavy damage to the mechanised boat,” the representation said.

A copy of the representation was also sent to fisheries, police and other authorities in Cochin, Chennai and Kanyakumari urging action.Of the 17 fishermen, 15 were from Tamil Nadu and two others from West Bengal. On February 15, 2012, two marines aboard an Italian-flagged oil tanker ‘Enrica Lexie’ allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen, hailing from Kerala and on a fishing boat, “mistaking” them for pirates. Following remittance of ₹10 crore compensation by Italy, the Supreme Court had in June this year directed the closure of criminal proceedings in India against two Italian marines, in connection with the killing of two fishermen off the Kerala coast.