The Saturday morning mid-sea accident in which three fishermen were hurt after their boat was hit by a merchant vessel was the third in just more than six months and fishermen have expressed anxiety over the frequency of such incidents involving merchant vessels.
Three fishermen were killed and nine went missing after a merchant vessel and fishing boat Oceanic collided off the Munambam coast in the first week of August last year. In another incident, fibre boat Divine was hit by a merchant vessel. There were no deaths or serious injuries in the accident.
The fishers’ unions have called for immediate government intervention as well as coordination among maritime safety agencies for better cover for fishermen.
Shipping channel
Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation general secretary V.D. Majeendran has demanded that the proposed coastal sea shipping route be avoided and that the fishing grounds of traditional fishermen be protected. Shipping channel should be allowed only through deep sea, he said.
Charles George of Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedhi said the shipping channel issue should not be confused with the safety of fishermen. The safety agencies and the Joint Operations Centre in Kochi had not been on the side of the fishermen, he alleged. It should be investigated whether merchant ships using the channel close to Kerala coast follow the safety protocol and code of conduct or not, he said.
He called for strengthening the monitoring, control and surveillance system even as fishermen were caught between serious fish shortage and dangers at sea.