Sri Lankan vessel ‘Lorenzo Putha IV’ Heroic rescue in a sea troubled by Somalian pirates

• The skipper of the vessel had been attacked as soon as the pirates took over the vessel
• The government authorities didn’t divulge the location of the vessel to ensure the safety of crew members

Hijacked ‘Lorenzo Putha IV’

On January 27, ‘Lorenzo Putha IV’ - a multi-day fishing vessel set out on its maiden voyage from the Dikkowita Fisheries Harbour towards the Arabian Sea. Its crew, a group of six fishermen from Thoduwawa, a small township in the North Western Province, whose ages ranged between 30-35 years, were experienced enough to face any calamities during their voyage. This vessel was accompanied by two others belonging to the same owner. All three vessels were on their way to find fresh catch off the seas. But be it fate or otherwise, the newly painted fishing vessel possibly stood out from the rest of the vessels in its vicinity that it became a potential target for a group of Somalian pirates.

A life and death moment at sea

“I was in contact with all three vessels from 9.30am-10.30am on the day they set off,” recalled W. W. Francis Milroy Perera, the owner of the vessel while speaking to the Daily Mirror. “Thereafter I returned home. ‘Lorenzo Putha III’ was around 50 nautical miles away from ‘Lorenzo Putha IV’ and the other vessel too was traveling towards ‘Lorenzo Putha IV’. Our final destination was the Arabian Sea. I then received news that boat No. 4 had come under threat. But I ignored the news at first. They told me that it was being taken away by a launch. Usually a launch is used if a vessel crosses a maritime border. But I was sure that our boat had no intention of crossing an international sea limit. When I checked on the VMS Cruise Tracker I saw this boat travelling towards the deep seas at a very high speed. Then I got a second call saying that the crew was facing trouble. One of the crew members had sent a text message to a shopkeeper in Thoduwawa saying that an Iranian boat had moved closer to our boat. It was only then that they had realised that the people onboard this boat were in fact Somalian pirates and were armed with weapons,” recalled Perera. 

Fishermen are likely to face imminent threats from pirates. But there has been no proper mechanism in place to ensure the safety of Sri Lankan fishermen. This could be done by upgrading technology and by increasing manpower engaged in the fisheries sector”- Rathna Gamage All Island General Fisheries Federation’s National Organiser

Sri Lankan fishermen have friendly relations with Iranian fishermen as the latter engage in traditional fishing. Therefore they even exchange supplies with one another while at sea. It is therefore suspected that these Somalian pirates had hijacked the Iranian boat and had travelled in it, so that no one would suspect them. “We received the message before the pirates hijacked the vessel. By this time around 20 other boats had already set off their alarms to alert the Fisheries Ministry of an impending threat. The vessel being hijacked too had set off their alarm. The skipper had been attacked as soon as the pirates took over the vessel. They had then opened fire aiming at the sky. But later on they had cooked and fed the crew. The skipper was instructed to switch on signals, so that they could start their voyage towards Somalia. But many of our vessels travel in close proximity to Seychelles and the skipper had turned on the flashlight for a few seconds. Thereafter the Seychelles Coast Guard had detected the signal. Luckily, the Somali pirates weren’t aware of what the skipper was doing,” he reminisced. 
Perera showered his appreciation on the government authorities including the Sri Lanka Navy for taking prompt actions to rescue the vessel and its crew. “The Fisheries Ministry was on alert and kept tracking the vessel even on Sunday despite it being a holiday. The government authorities didn’t divulge the location of the vessel to ensure the safety of crew members. As such the government extended its fullest support to rescue the vessel,” he said. 

When asked about the expenses, Perera said that the cost to complete constructing the vessel was around Rs. 70 million. “It would take another Rs. 7 million to complete the voyage. The vessel had stocks of food, fuel and other supplies to last two months. It had been insured under the Malicious Acts Insurance Policy. I spoke with the insurance company today as well. It would cost a lot of money to bring them back as well. The vessel has been docked at the Seychelles port and it would take another 10 days for them to return,” he added. 
When asked if skippers and fishermen are being made aware of international maritime borders, Perera responded in the affirmative and said that when a vessel owner obtains a licence to maneuver a boat on sea that it is mandatory for the crew in each boat to sit through a training conducted by the Fisheries Ministry on international maritime laws, borders etc. 

A collaborative rescue effort 

The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources had informed the Sri Lanka Navy regarding the developments and had requested assistance to rescue the vessel and its crew. Issuing a press release regarding the incident the Sri Lanka Navy said that in a prompt response, the Sri Lanka Navy collaborated with MRCC Seychelles, following the directives of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, to commence a joint rescue operation. “We also sought the assistance of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) which is focusing on anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea, as well as regional maritime stakeholders,” said Sri Lanka Navy Spokesman Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya. “Thereafter the Seychelles Defence Forces sent out its Coast Guard Ship ‘TOPAZ’ to the sea area about 230 nautical miles off the Mahe Island, within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Seychelles. As a result the Coast Guard Ship ‘Topaz’ was able to release the fishing vessel from the custody of Somalian pirates on January 29 and three of the pirates had been arrested. The vessel is currently being docked at the Port of Victoria in Seychelles,” said Captain Wickramasuriya
When asked how long it would take for the fishermen and the vessel to return to Sri Lankan waters, Captain Wickramasuriya said that Foreign Ministry and the Embassy are currently having discussions to set out the formalities in sending the crew home. 

I was sure that our boat had no intention of crossing an international sea limit. When I checked on the VMS Cruise Tracker I saw this boat travelling towards the deep seas at a very high speed. Then I got a second call saying that the crew was facing trouble.. It was only then that they had realised that the people onboard this boat were in fact Somalian pirates”- W. W. Francis Milroy Perera, Vessel Owner

Fisheries Associations signal more alarms

However, fisheries associations now demand from the government to implement a proper compensation and insurance scheme for fishermen when they face incidents of this nature. “Already, the Indian fishermen are robbing our marine resources,” claimed All Island General Fisheries Federation’s National Organiser Rathna Gamage. “Fishermen are likely to face imminent threats from pirates. But there has been no proper mechanism in place to ensure the safety of Sri Lankan fishermen. This could be done by upgrading technology and by increasing manpower engaged in the fisheries sector. The Navy is assisting fishermen at times of threats, but they come to our support when an incident takes place. Shouldn’t there be a mechanism to prevent such incidents from occurring,” questioned Gamage. 

The life of a fisherman is quite uncertain, especially if it’s a fisherman who patrols the deep seas in search of extra catch to make a living. “They are forced to face these threats. But a fisherman can only claim insurance if a boat is completely destroyed. There’s no way to claim insurance for partial damages. There’s no life insurance if a fisherman dies of a heart attack while at sea. The conditions are such that the fisherman must face an adversity where the individual is subject to death through drowning while engaging in fishing if his kith or kin is to seek compensation. In fact various departments have to come forward and relate details and justify his cause of death as an adversity he faced while at sea. This is a pathetic situation,” said Gamage

Gamage further said that the six members aboard ‘Lorenzo Putha IV’ were rescued out of sheer luck, but it may not be the case all the time.“It is high time for authorities including the Coast Guard, Fisheries Department and the Defence Ministry to come together and implement a proper compensation and insurance scheme for fishermen,” he underscored.