The Sri Lanka Navy brought an injured fisherman ashore for urgent medical treatment on Friday, May 8, after coordinating a rescue approximately 81 nautical miles off the south coast.
The crew member was aboard a local multi-day fishing trawler that had set sail from the Galle Fisheries Harbour on May 3 with seven fishermen. While engaged in fishing activities, one of the crew suffered an injury and a formal request for assistance was made through the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo.
MRCC Colombo informed the merchant vessel MT MAUI, which was sailing in the nearby sea area, to retrieve the patient. The Navy dispatched a craft attached to the Southern Naval Command to the designated rendezvous point, where the injured fisherman was transferred from the merchant vessel.
Naval personnel administered first aid before bringing the fisherman to Galle Harbour. He was then transferred to the National Hospital, Galle for specialised treatment.
The Navy said it remains alert to such emergencies affecting the fishing and naval communities, working in close coordination with MRCC Colombo.
The case follows a recent surge in coordinated maritime rescues by the Navy, including the repatriation of 238 Iranian sailors earlier this year and routine assistance to local trawlers operating far offshore in the southern fishing grounds.
