Kerala - Kollam   

A gift from the United States for the tsunami-hit fisherfolk

Staff Reporter

First batch of 10 fibreglass plastic fishing vessels arrives

A GIFT FROM ACROSS THE SEA: A fleet of fibreglass boats from the Brunswick Corporation which arrived in Kollam on Monday for donation to tsunami victims.

KOLLAM: The first batch of ten fibreglass reinforced plastic fishing vessels to be distributed as a gift from the U.S.-based Brunswick Corporation to the tsunami affected members of the fishing community arrived in Kollam on Monday.

The gift is being made through the Chooravila Joseph Development Foundation, a registered charitable trust. Chairman of the foundation G.J. Fernandez said at a press conference here on Tuesday that the gift, comprising twenty boats, was a gesture from the Brunswick Corporation for the rehabilitation programme of tsunami victims in the State.

Mr. Fernandez said that it was a Rs.4-crore programme as each vessel cost Rs.20 lakh. He said that on behalf of the corporation, the foundation would hand over the boats to the State Government after the arrival of the remaining ten boats, expected in the next two to three weeks.

The offer to gift these boats to the affected fishermen was made to the State Government in January 2005, soon after the tsunami devastation and the then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy readily accepted the offer.

Each boat is 36.6 ft. long and 5.7 ft. wide. It has a 120 HP diesel engine. The vessel is capable of carrying 13 persons and can achieve speed of 12.5 knots (23.15 kmph) with a load of 2,000 kg.

The vessels are equipped with a fish hold to preserve the quality of the catch.

Mr. Fernandez said that more than 260 families would benefit from the contribution.

The boats that arrived were stocked at the Esmario Export Enterprise here, Indian distributor for the Brunswick Corporation products. As a foreign company donated the boats, clearances from various departments of the Central and State Governments were required. This delayed the arrival of the boats, Mr. Fernandez said.

The targeted beneficiaries were those fishermen who lost their boats in the tsunami.

The beneficiaries would be selected by a committee with the District Collector as chairman and comprising the Deputy Director of Fisheries and the district officer of the Matysafed as members.

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