Lankan seafarer feared dead after being swept overboard

Parents of a Sri Lankan seafarer are struck by grief, as their son- sole breadwinner of the family, has gone missing and is feared dead, after he was swept overboard off a foreign ship while entering a port in Lisbon on Christmas Eve, a maritime union said yesterday.Third Officer H. Gayan Mahesh Wickramatarne (24) on container vessel, SAF Marine Longa, was caught up in a massive wave that hit the upper deck of the vessel in choppy sea conditions, Ranjan Perera of the International Transport workers Federation (ITF) told the Sunday Times.

He added that Lisbon port authorities had immediately launched a massive search operation using helicopters, boats and divers, but without any suc- cess.

“Meanwhile, two other Sri Lankan seafarers who were also caught up in the same incident, are presently being treated for serious fractures at a hospital in Lisbon, with the ITF Office in Lisbon looking after their interest,” he said.

The missing seafarer- a resident of Raddoluwa-Seeduwa, was on his maiden voyage. He boarded the vessel in early October from a port in Belgium, and his last contact with his parents was on December 23, according to Mr Perera.

Meanwhile, a grief-stricken H. Wickramaratne- the father of the missing seafarer, told the Sunday Times that the family had dumped all its available financial resources towards training their son at the Marine Academy in Galle.