Safety lessons in wake of missing fisherman

Ali Saif Al Suwaidi, 35, holds a photo of his brother, Mohammed Said Al Suwaidi, 32. His brother, a fishing boat’s captain, was reported missing following a collision with a large vessel off the UAE cShow more

AJMAN // Being a fisherman at sea is a tough, dangerous and unpredictable job, especially for someone who has never set foot on a boat before.

That is what some fishermen say since an Emirati fishing boat captain who could not swim went missing at sea on January 31.

Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, 32, fell into the sea after a large ship collided with his boat, causing it to break in half. His body has not been found.

Captains of fishing boats in Ajman said their crew members must know how to stay safe on board and how to react should they fall into the sea.

They must also be able to swim and ensure that their vessels have the necessary safety equipment such as life jackets.

The skippers warned that people who had mostly worked on land and were unaccustomed to working on boats should not go to sea.

Rasheed Al Muhairi, an Emirati fisherman of 35 years, said it was rare to find fishermen who could not swim.

He said that before the coastguard issued boat licences, they check that the vessels carry safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, life jackets, lights and first-aid kits.

“We also teach our Asian sailors to use them,” he said, adding that he usually checked weather conditions before heading out to sea.

New technologies such as weather forecast apps for smartphones have helped to make fishermen’s work safer, according to Emirati Humaid Al Shamsi, 60, who started working on fishing boats when he was 10 years old.

Even so, fierce storms at sea could easily result in a crew member being washed overboard, said Ali Majid Al Suwaidi, 63. “When we face these situations, we use our long experience in determining the boat’s speed and direction until we reach an island or port,” he said.

“Any incident occurring at sea is due to fog or crossing the large shipping lanes while sailors are sleeping. But the most dangerous is the weather.”

The ability to swim and familiarity with safety equipment are essential to fishermen in the event of an emergency at sea, according to Maj Ali Al Naqbi, director of maritime rescue at Dubai Police.

He said it was important for fishermen to have a way to contact the coastguard should the need arise. “It’s also important to always let your family and friends know where you are going and in what direction,” said Maj Al Naqbi.