Team Herald

PANJIM: As Cyclone Ockhi reduced in intensity and the weather cleared for fishing activity to recommence, several hundred trawlers that had made Devgad their home during the natural calamity have returned to the sea.

The port, which is managed by the Maharashtra Maritime Board, saw a rush of 560 trawlers huddling up in search of shelter to save themselves from the cyclone that hit the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and others.

The trawlers that came to the Devgad jetty included 250 from 

Maharashtra, including those that operate from there, 58 from Kerala, a trawler from Tamil Nadu, 251 from Gujarat and rest from Goa.

Tehsildar Vanita Patil said the trawlers were at the harbour from December 2, before they left on the evening of December 8. “Being the nearest and safest harbour, they had anchored here for shelter,” she said. Patil said that items like fuel, drinking water, rice, wheat flour and others were made available to those on the trawlers. 

“Devgad is a natural harbour where ships can stay safe even during worst of the natural calamities. It is tucked between two mountains so it’s saved from risky winds,” a senior official from the maritime board told Herald.

He said that the trawlers which were in distress were accommodated with fishermen showing extreme brotherhood during the testing time. “There were no skirmishes or even arguments. Each of them knew that this is a time that they should help each other,” he said.

While vessels from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which were in the deep sea fishing, were the first to arrive at the habour, they were later joined by those from Goa and Gujarat.

Interestingly, despite being affected by the cyclone, the governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu sent their officers to look after the fishermen who were stranded at Devgad. “A team of officials had come and with the help of the Maharashtra government they provided amenities like diesel, food and cylinders for the fishermen from their state,” he said.

On the other hand, trawlers from Gujarat and Goa had enough amenities and fuel with them, and so did not need to depend on others for help.

“When trawlers venture to the sea they have enough of amenities with them to sustain for a month. So when they arrived at Devgad they had no scarcity. Some of the trawlers from Goa have air conditioned cabins and they were relaxing in it,” an official said.

Devgad Municipal Corporation had pitched in to help by providing water. Sanjay Bandekar, the municipal councillor representing the area where the harbour is located, said the water was provided for 2-3 days before trawlers finally ventured out on Friday evening. “We provided help to the trawlers. The people also were very cooperative. They left the port area on Friday evening after the sea condition returned to normal,” he said.