Two fishermen are feared dead after the chemical tanker Solis collided with the fishing trawler St. Joseph in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kerala, India.
The incident occurred on March 8, when the locally registered fishing vessel was anchored about 120 nautical miles off Kerala. At around noon, the Panamanian-flagged tanker Solis struck the vessel, causing severe damage.
According to reports, the fishing trawler sank within minutes after the collision. Two crew members remain missing and are presumed dead, while nine fishermen were rescued by the tanker’s crew.
Search operations for the missing fishermen are ongoing. India’s Directorate General of Shipping has launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The Solis is a chemical tanker built in 2003 and sailing under the Panamanian flag. The vessel measures 145.5 meters in length, with a beam of 23.73 meters and a gross tonnage of 11,573.
