The Sri Lanka Navy has rescued four fishermen who were stranded at sea after Cyclone Arnab and brought them to Hambantota Port on Tuesday morning.

The Navy said the Offshore Patrol Vessel SLNS Sindurala took the men aboard on 2 November. They were given initial medical assistance and humanitarian support, and were then transferred to Hambantota General Hospital for further treatment.

The four had left Kudawella Fisheries Harbour on 21 October aboard the multi-day fishing trawler Eagle (IMUL-A-0022-TLE). Communication with the vessel was lost on 23 October.

The boat’s owner reported the trawler missing to the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) on 27 October. The department then asked the Navy for help through the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo, and a joint search and rescue operation began the same day.

The Navy said the operation involved the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, the Sri Lanka Air Force, local fishing vessels and merchant ships operating in the area. The trawler and its crew were located after coordinated communications among fishing and maritime communities, the Navy said.

A separate search and rescue operation is continuing for three other fishermen who have not returned after leaving Chalai on 26 October, the Navy said.

Background

Multi-day fishing trawlers spend several days or weeks at sea, often far from the coast, which makes them hard to trace when radio contact is lost. Kudawella in the Southern Province is one of the harbours these vessels sail from, and crews rely on weather warnings issued before and during trips.

The Navy said it ran the search in line with international maritime conventions, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.

MRCC Colombo is the coordination point for search and rescue operations in Sri Lanka’s maritime region. In this case it passed the request from the fisheries department to the Navy, which brought in the Coast Guard, the Air Force and civilian vessels.

What it means

The case shows the route families and boat owners follow when a fishing vessel loses contact: a report to the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, which can ask the Navy to start a search through the rescue coordination centre. In this case the report was made on 27 October, four days after contact was lost, and the vessel was reached on 2 November.

For families of the three fishermen who left Chalai on 26 October, the Navy said its search is continuing. Further updates are expected from the Navy as that operation proceeds.