This is said to be the first recorded instance where Sri Lankan fishermen have been targeted by Somali pirates.
Out of the six fishermen who set out to fish on November 20, into international waters in the fishing vessel- “Lakmali”, two fishermen- Lal Fernando and Sugath Fernando have been abducted by pirates.
Pirates who arrived in “Kantari 12” abducted the two while the remaining four have traveled to Minicoy Islands (Lakshadweep) belonging to India with the help of an Indian vessel and are now under the custody of Indian authorities.
The Fisheries Ministry was closely coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs through High Commissions in Kenya and New Delhi to secure the release of all six fishermen.
Timeline of pirating incidents involving Sri Lankans
* On December 7 European Union’s anti-piracy naval force- EU NAVFOR announced that thirteen Sri Lankan crew, Greek Captain along with the Saudi Arabian flagged oil tanker- MV Al Nisr Al Saudi was released from Somali pirate control after the payment of a ransom.
* On November 26, Somali pirates seized a Malaysian freighter- MV Albedo along with 23 crew members, including Sri Lankans in the Indian Ocean, approximately 900 nautical miles (1,660 kilometres) from Mogadishu.
* On August 2, a Panama-flagged vessel- MV SUEZ with a crew of 23 (Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India Nationalities), was captured under small arms fire from a pirate attack.
* On May 11, 2010 Somali pirates released cargo vessel- ‘MV Talca’ which was hijacked along with its multinational crew including twenty Sri Lankan nationals, by off the Oman coast on March 23, 2010, after lengthy negotiations and the payment of a ransom.
* The vessel, which has deadweight of 5,136 tonnes and a crew of 14, was heading to Jeddah from Japan when she was pirated in the Gulf of Aden on March 3, 2010. The master of the ship is Greek and the rest of the crew members are from Sri Lanka, NAVFOR said.
Source: Asian Tribune