Sri Lanka Navy rescues Indian fishing vessel after accident near Delft Island

An Indian fishing trawler carrying 11 crew members ran aground on a reef near Sri Lanka's Delft Island after allegedly entering Lankan waters for illegal fishing. The Sri Lanka Navy launched a rescue operation, saying all crew members were safe

Colombo: An Indian fishing vessel with 11 crew members met with an accident in Sri Lankan waters, prompting a rescue operation by the island nation’s navy, according to an official statement on Thursday. According to the Sri Lanka Navy, the trawler had reportedly crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line into Sri Lankan waters and allegedly engaged in bottom trawling before it ran aground.

The incident occurred on a coastal reef off Delft Island, also known as Neduntheevu, located in the Palk Strait off the northern coast of mainland Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Navy’s media spokesman Commander Chaminda Walakuluge claimed the Indian vessel was engaged in illegal fishing activities in Sri Lankan waters and met with an accident, with 11 people on board, adding that the incident occurred on Wednesday.

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“Due to the impact of grounding on the reef, the trawler has sustained partial structural damage,” the Sri Lanka Navy said in the statement. However, the situation has not reached a critical stage, and the fishermen are not in immediate danger, it added. The statement said the rescue units to assist the Indian fishermen were dispatched.

Subsequent action about the incident is presently being pursued in conformity with the relevant legal procedures, it added. The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries. Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters.