Cargo ship collides with fishing boat off Kollam coast, sails away without offering help

KOLLAM: A ship that rammed into a fishing boat 24 nautical miles off the Kollam coast sailed away without showing the nicety to stop after the accident. Six fishermen who fell into the sea in the accident were rescued. Two among them suffered injuries.

The incident took place around 6 pm on Thursday. The Panama chemical tanker ship CR TETHYS hit the boat Nesnia, owned by Nimmi, a native of Shakthikulangara. The rear of the boat was completely damaged. The workers, Sahay Hensin, a native of Kulachal, Jackson Britto, and Rathandas, Baharanjan Das, Sumandas, and Deva, all natives of West Bengal, fell into the sea. The Fort Kochi Coastal Police registered a case against the ship's captain in the incident.

The ship was heading to Colombo from the port of Khor Fakkan in the UAE. There were 12 workers on board the fishing boat, including Srank (driver). Five were in the store room and six were sorting the fish in the second net from above the boat. These six people fell into the sea after the collision.

Despite raising an alarm, the staff on board the ship were hesitant to help the fishermen as they sailed away. The boat reached Shaktikulangara Harbour around midnight, and all of them were admitted to the Neendakara Taluk Hospital.

The second net and rope were lost at sea. The board used to pull the net was destroyed. The owner said she suffered a loss of about one crore rupees. The Neendakara Coastal Police, which registered an FIR on the complaint of the boat owner, handed over the investigation to the Kochi Fort Police. The boat was moved to a private yard in Shaktikulangara. It is reported that the Coastal Police is trying to summon the ship back with the help of the Coast Guard.