October 04, Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Navy has detained an Indian fishing trawler and nine fishermen after the vessel was found allegedly fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters off the southern coast of Delft Island.
The incident occurred on the evening of 3 October, when naval personnel detected a group of Indian fishing boats operating on the Sri Lankan side of the International Maritime Boundary Line. The Navy said a number of trawlers had entered the area and were engaged in fishing activities without authorisation.
A naval patrol vessel, SLNS Samudura, subsequently intercepted one of the trawlers and took its nine-member crew into custody.
The seized vessel and the fishermen were later escorted to Kankesanthurai Harbour in Jaffna. They are expected to be handed over to the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, which will initiate the relevant legal proceedings.
The latest interception comes amid continued enforcement efforts by Sri Lankan authorities against unauthorised fishing by foreign vessels in the country’s territorial waters.
