By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama

Measures are being taken with the support of the Foreign Ministry and the Sri Lanka Navy to release the ‘Lorenzo Putha 4’ - a Sri Lankan multi-day fishing trawler which was hijacked by Somali pirates yesterday, Director General of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department Susantha Kahawatta said.

He said the Somali pirates who hijacked the multi-day trawler have not made any communication with the Fisheries Department or any other responsible government institutions.
Therefore, we are unaware of the target and their demand to hijack the multi-day fishing trawler, Kahawatta said.

“We are hoping that the Somali pirates or the fishing crew might be able to contact the country soon after restoring their communications system or the radio system. They can contact our department at any time, and we think they will contact us anytime. Therefore, all communication systems with the Fisheries Department are kept online 24 hours a day. This trawler is 50 feet long and was on its first trip after construction. We suspect that the trawler was hijacked because it was a newly built one,” he said.

The Sri Lankan multi-day fishing trawler that was hijacked by the Somali pirates yesterday is a newly built trawler with new equipment and on its first sailing experience, Kahawatta said.
“There were six fishermen aboard, including the captain, when it was sailing in the Arabian Sea. Because this is a multi-day fishing trawler, there were sufficient facilities, such as food and water in it, and we think that the crew is safe. All measures have been taken by the Fisheries Department and we have informed the Foreign Ministry and the Sri Lankan Navy to rescue the trawler and its crew,” Kahawatta said.

According to information received by a ship that had followed the multi-day fishing trawler, several armed men had boarded the trawler and shot into the sky to take control of the vessel, he said.

The trawler ‘Lorenzo Putha 04’ departed from the Dikkowita Fisheries Harbour on January 12, and the abduction occurred approximately 1,160 nautical miles away from the Sri Lankan coast.