Ruwan Fernando, Secretary of the All Ceylon Multi-Day Trawler Owners’ Association said that nearly 5,000 multi-day trawlers have been stranded in fishing harbors unable to go to sea for fishing.
It takes about 45 days for a multi-day trawler to set sail for international waters and return to land.
According to the Multi-Day Trawler Owners’ Association, a multi-day trawler costs around 11,000 liters of diesel per trip.
More than 33,000 liters of diesel has been released to one port per day in the recent past. But on the 17th, Dickowita port received only 19,000 liters of fuel.
That number is not enough for even two multi-day trawlers, said Ruwan Fernando.
Normal procedure is that after a 45-day voyage, multi-day vessels are docked in fishing harbors and return to the sea again in about 14 days.
However, the Multi-Day Trawler Owners’ Association points out that due to this situation, their vessels have to be parked in fishing harbors for more than two months.
He also points out that an owner pays a fee for each day the trawler docked in the fishing harbor, pays the guards, and pays the bank loan installments for the trawlerd that are docked without income.
The Multi-Day Trawler Owners’ Association says they are facing a severe crisis due to rising fuel prices, which cost about Rs. 1.1 million extra per trip, and that their life is falling apart further due to a lack of fuel.
However, he points out that the fish caught from their vessels are sold to the international market, which brings in a large amount of foreign exchange to the country.
