The Sri Lanka Navy brought three ill fishermen ashore on the morning of 9 November 2026. They were on a fishing trawler about 25 nautical miles off Trincomalee, on the east coast of Sri Lanka. The navy took them to Trincomalee Harbour. From there, they went to Trincomalee General Hospital.
The boat is the multi-day trawler Cheshan Putha 02. It left Trincomalee Harbour on 6 November with seven fishermen on board. Three of them developed sudden medical problems at sea. The navy has not said what the illness was. It has not given their names.
How the rescue worked
The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources asked for help through MRCC Colombo. MRCC means Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. It is the shore centre that leads sea rescues in Sri Lanka's search and rescue region.
The navy sent Fast Attack Craft P 450 from its Eastern Naval Command. A fast attack craft is a small, fast patrol boat. Navy sailors moved the three fishermen onto the craft and gave them first aid. Then they brought them to Trincomalee Harbour.
This is the second case off Trincomalee in a few days. On 6 November, the navy brought a critically ill fisherman ashore from another trawler. We wrote about the Krishan Putha medical evacuation.
What to do when crew members fall ill at sea
The navy has not said why the three men became ill. But some advice helps on any boat or ship. This is general advice, not about this case.
Call for medical help early. Contact MRCC Colombo, your fisheries office or the nearest coast radio. Do not wait to see if the person gets better.
Give clear facts: your position, how many people are sick, what they feel, and when it started.
If several people fall ill at the same time, there may be a common cause on board. Stop using food or water that may be bad, and keep a sample.
Gas can build up in a closed fish hold or engine room. Do not go into a closed space to help someone without fresh air and a second person watching.
Keep sick people resting, in shade and drinking clean water, if they can. Watch their breathing until help arrives.
Prepare the transfer. Have the boat papers and the names of the sick crew ready. Make safe access for the rescue boat.
Before a long trip, tell your family the route and how long you will be at sea. Carry a working radio and a distress beacon if you have one.
Ships' crews can face the same problem far from shore. Today, sea rescuers in South Africa took two ill seafarers off two vessels near Durban.
Find emergency and welfare contacts for seafarers in our useful links page.
Cover photo: a fishing boat at anchor off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, August 2019. Illustrative photo, not Cheshan Putha 02. Photo: Sivanandhan Dishanthan/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: Sri Lanka Navy: Navy brings ashore 3 ill fishermen off eastern coast for medical attention (9 Nov 2026), Ada Derana: Navy rescues three ailing fishermen off Trincomalee coast (9 Nov 2026).
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