Kenya hails Chinese vessel for assistance

The Kenya Coast Guard Service, or KCGS, the country's maritime law enforcement agency, has expressed appreciation for Chinese assistance in rescuing three Kenyan fishermen in the high seas.

In a letter addressed to China Overseas Fisheries Association through the Chinese embassy in the capital Nairobi, which was released on Monday, the KCGS said it had received information on Nov 30 that four Kenyan fishermen, namely Hans Barak Killieney, Fahad Ali Mohammed, Akida Idd Mohammed and Ibrahim, who had gone on a deep sea fishing expedition, had gone missing.

The KCGS immediately began a search and rescue operation, which lasted for seven days, but ended without success, it said in the letter dated Jan 19.

The Coast Guard on Dec 25 received a report saying a Chinese fishing vessel Luqingyuanyu 108 licensed by the fisheries authority of neighboring Tanzania had rescued three people in a small capsized boat at sea.

The Chinese captain, in a humanitarian gesture, coordinated their rescue, provided food, water and accommodation to the three. He immediately contacted China Overseas Fisheries Association in Beijing, which got in touch with its local partner in Kenya, Sam Maina.

The local partner collaborated with the KCGS and the captain to hand over the rescued fishermen to their families on Dec 27, the letter said.

"I, therefore, take this opportunity on behalf of the Kenya Coast Guard Service to appreciate the good gesture of the captain and China Overseas Fisheries Association … which led to the rescue of Kenyan fishermen, hence saving their lives," Bruno Shioso, director-general of KCGS, said in the letter.

According to an earlier report by Kenya News Agency, the four fishermen set off on a fishing expedition from the coastal town of Malindi in November but went missing after their boat malfunctioned and was hit by a rogue wave. The three who were rescued — Hans Barak Killieney, Fahad Ali Mohammed and Akida Idd Mohammed — were stranded at sea for 22 days, while Ibrahim is believed to have drowned in the sea, the report said.

Following the successful rescue, Shioso said the KCGS will intensify efforts to ensure they operate a more modern force and have enhanced capabilities in search and rescue operation. The Coast Guard handles about 900 similar cases annually, with 62 percent involving small fishing vessels, Kenya News Agency said.