At Kasimedu fishing harbour: Building anew to sail the high seas

CHENNAI: The usual hustle-bustle at Kasimedu fishing harbour and vendors calling out ‘meenu meenu’ is now replaced by the sound of hammer and thistle, as workers gear up building new fishing boats in north Chennai.

The boat’s interiors look like a large whale, and it’s being constructed with wood and steel at the cost of Rs 1 crore that’d withstand lashing waves and cyclones for 15 years. However, construction activities have dwindled to large extent due to a spike in the cost of materials.

Fishing boats are made of Artocarpus Hirsutus (aini maram), and Albizia Lebbeck (kaatu vaagai) wood from Kerala timber shops. Only 30% of the wood is used for boat construction, and the remaining is built with steel. It’s similar to a large ship that’d withstand cyclonic storms and wave speed.

“It takes 3-6 months for completing the construction work, which also depends on the manpower engaged for each boat. The work is being done on contract basis and tender process will be carried out for awarding the work order. Since raw materials are expensive nowadays, owners spend around Rs 1.5 crore for building a new boat,” explained a worker at Kasimedu.

Earlier, the boats were built at a cost of Rs 45 lakh. Due to the rise in prices of raw materials, the cost increased by over 200%. The cost of fibre, nets, nails, wood, and labour, everything had scaled up in the last five years. And of late, boat owners prefer purchasing second-hand boats for Rs 30 lakh from Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and Kanniyakumari, and carry out maintenance works.

“New boats usually behave like a truck with a low mileage of around 4-5 km/litre diesel. And the fibre boats can travel 6-7 km depending on the waves and wind. Fuel cost and reduction in fish catch are serious issues affecting us,” said R Rajesh, village headman, Mahabalipuram fishing hamlet.

Meanwhile, fishermen and boat owners constantly debate over constructing new boats or buying them. The increase in the number of boats had resulted in more yield reducing the cost of fish in the market.

“It has been five years since owners stopped making new boats or purchasing from the neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu. When more boats ventured into the sea, supply increases bringing down the fish price at the market. However, those willing to buy additional boats can purchase from the owners in the area,” opined K Ravi, a fisherman at Kasimedu fishing harbour.

Welding, painting, tinkering and repairing their ride

Ongoing repair works

After battling the rough seas and bearing the brunt of other wear and tear, it’s time for boats at Kasimedu fishing harbour to undergo maintenance, and repair all the cracks and holes.

With the fishing ban period on, damages are being repaired. Boats get a fresh coat of paint before returning to sea.

At the harbour, workers are busy fixing the engine, electrical faults, ensuring the GPS and echo sounder works are working, and of course, giving their ride a fresh coat of paint.

“The boat repair works usually start about a month after the annual ban period comes into force. During this time, we will carry out engine repair works, mend and patch fishing nets, and undertake ice box storage maintenance. The boats that go for deep sea fishing would also have to remove the oysters that are stuck underneath. All these should be completed five days before the ban ends,” said N Prakash, a worker at the fishing harbour.

It is a costly affair. According to fishermen, the annual maintenance and repair could cost about Rs 3-5 lakh, which could go up to Rs 10-Rs 15 lakh in the case of bigger vessels. This works out to a huge amount for all the nearly 3,500 boats here.

If the damages are small, the boats would undergo repair in the sea itself. But if the boats require any major work, they would have to be brought out of the water to the harbour, added MD Dhayalan, president, Indian Fishermen Association.

Noting that the boat owners come under severe pressure to fund the repairs that are done at a time when they have no income for about 60 days, Dhayalan urged the government to step in to support them.

“To meet the expenses, boat owners should borrow money and pay it off gradually after the ban period is over. We have submitted multiple representations to the State government seeking Rs 3 lakh for the maintenance works. The authorities can also extend this money to us as bank loans,” he suggested.