KOCHI: As the higher ups in the Union Government have reiterated that they won't ask for reviewing the to the decision to employ armed personnel in merchant vessels, the fishermen here are a worried lot.Even when the shock of the shooting incident involving Italian vessel Enrica Lexie is yet to subside, the fishermen feel such incidents might reoccur if the decision was to take its course.The main contention in this regard is the increase in the number of merchant vessels making their way through the Indian waters.“Over the years, there is a substantial increase in the number of vessels plying through our waters. Every day, 30-40 shipping vessels pass by us while we are at the sea. So much so that it has become increasingly difficult for us to lay down our nets. If all of them carry armed guards, the possibility of such incidents is high,” said Tom, a srank at ‘Jesus Love’, a boat berthed at Kalamukku harbour in Kochi.There have been numerous cases wherein fishermen were killed after their boats collided with merchant vessels. Every year, since 2006, a few incidents in this regard had been reported.“Fishing mostly is done in groups. So, when a fishing boat gets damaged after colliding with a ship, other fishing boats come to the rescue. So casualty is low,” said All-Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association general secretary Xavier Kalappurakkal.“About a decade back, such incidents happened rarely but now as many as two to three accidents happen every year,” said Tom.The increase in the number of merchant vessels had so far meant death and indebtedness, but with the Enrica Lexie episode, the danger-level has enhanced to encounters with heavily-armed foreign vessels.
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