Boat Hit By Ship, Eight Fishermen Escape Unhurt

Eight fishermen on board a trawl boat engaged in deep sea fishing had escaped on Thursday morning when it was hit by a ship. Manager of the boat Arun Bengre said that the ship could not sight the boat and its occupants. Mr. Bengre, who was not on board, said the driver of the trawl boat quickly tried to swerve out of the pathway of the ship but could not avoid getting hit by the side of the ship. A few fishermen were thrown into the waters because of the impact while the boat suffered a major damage. A part of the wooden plank of the boat came off. The fishermen in the vicinity rushed to the rescue of the men on board. Since water was gushing into the damaged boat, they managed to plug the leak and hold it afloat.He said that he got the message about 12 hours after the incident and rushed to the spot with two boats from Mangalore fishing harbour. The damaged boat was brought to Mangalore shore on Friday morning. The boat was in the sea for the past nine days. Since water entered the fish-hold, fish worth Rs. 2 lakh had decayed. Mr. Bengre said the boat, A.B. Fisheries, was owned by Prabhakar Suvarna of the city. The repairs to the boat could cost over Rs. 5 lakh, he said. Deputy Director of Fisheries Sureshkumar Ullal said the incident had not come to his notice. The office of Mangalore Trawl Boat Meenugarara Sangha was also not aware of it. Mr. Bengre said the information could not be conveyed to them as he was busy salvaging the boat.