(COLOMBO) – The Sri Lankan authorities yesterday warned local fishermen against venturing into the Arabian Sea owing to an increase in activity of Somali pirates in the region and beyond, a senior most official said on Tuesday.
The announcement was made following the most recent hijacking of an Iranian fishing vessel in the Arabian Sea on Saturday.
The Director General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Susantha Kahawatta said that information has been received that a group of Somali pirates remain active in the relevant sea area and therefore it was not advisable for fish workers to venture into this particular region.
The warning also comes barely two months after a Sri Lankan multi-day fishing vessel was grabbed by Somali Pirates in the Arabian Sea.
The Lorenza Putha with a six-member-crew was however subsequently rescued in a joint operation by the Indian and Seychelles Navy that had responded to a distress call from the fishing vessel.
Three pirates surrendered to the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) while the boat and the crew continue to remain in Seychelles until the necessary documents are completed for its repatriation.
The Somali pirates have re-emerged after a lapse of several years under the cover of the ongoing attacks on commercial vessels by Houthi rebels based in Yemen, International Transport Workers’ Federation Colombo Inspector Ranjan Perera told themorningtelegraph on Tuesday.
“The Somali pirates withdrew from activities after shipping companies hired armed mercenaries to sail on their vessels a move that helped to bring an end to the pirate menace.
In the past dozens of Sri Lankan Seafarers employed on foreign vessels were grabbed by Somali pirates and were forced to spend many years in captivity until the ship owner paid the ransom demand”, Perera said.
He said that at present Seafarers sailing on commercial vessels are receiving double wages as a risk allowance owing to the turbulent situation on the Arabia Sea and beyond.
