Date:05/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120555390600.htm

Tamil Nadu

Sri Lankan fishing boat found drifting off Tamil Nadu coast

Special Correspondent

VILLUPURAM: A damaged fishing boat of Sri Lankan origin, found drifting in the sea 25 km off the Hanumanthai coast near Marakkanam, was towed by local fishermen on Thursday morning.

They said the mechanised boat carried the Sri Lankan flag and registration number. The steering wheel was missing and there was a hole in the cabin. It had a cold storage unit, bedding and crumbs of food strewn on the deck.

Abandoned

The fishermen assumed that their Sri Lankan counterparts must have abandoned the vessel after it developed a snag, probably due to the entanglement of the fishing net in the propellers. The fishermen could not bring the boat to the shore and anchored it two km off the coast.

Collector R. Palanisamy and Superintendent of Police A. Amalraj went to the spot and made enquiries. They said the boat would be handed over to Customs authorities. They ruled out the possibility of anyone having travelled in the boat on the sly.