Andhra Pradesh Overhauls Fishing Vessel Safety After Fatal Capsizes

The Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Department has launched a comprehensive policy overhaul to improve coastal security, modernise tracking infrastructure, and reduce risks for fishermen along the state's coastline. The initiative follows recent maritime accidents that exposed critical safety gaps and hindered search and rescue operations due to poor vessel visibility.

Under the plan, the lower hulls of fishing boats will be changed from conventional blue to high-visibility orange. Investigations after a July 4 capsize near Gangavaram Port found that blue hulls blend with deep seawater, making aerial and surface searches difficult. The previous yellow and blue colour scheme, introduced 15 years ago for regional registry identification after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, will be phased out.

Fisheries Joint Director LBS Vardhan confirmed that the department commissioner has instructed officials to prepare a formal draft, which will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Fisheries for approval.

Tracking infrastructure faces operational hurdles as fishermen often switch off free transponders provided under central schemes to evade administrative monitoring. This disables two-way communication, leaving rescue teams blind during emergencies. Ensuring active transponder compliance is critical for relaying real-time weather alerts and positions, officials said.

To bridge monitoring gaps, the administration is evaluating drone use for rapid safety checks and rescue support within 12 nautical miles from the coast. The fisheries sector in Andhra Pradesh has about 29,000 vessels: 1,500 mechanised boats, 22,000 motorised boats, and 5,000 non-motorised crafts.

The safety modernisation will be implemented in three phases. Phase one covers mechanised boats, including hull colour changes and transponder enforcement. Motorised and non-motorised vessels will follow in later stages.

These reforms come after a series of capsizes. The most notable incident on July 4 involved a mechanised boat that capsized 10 nautical miles off Gangavaram due to engine failure in rough seas. Despite a multi-agency search by the Indian Coast Guard and Navy, six of seven crew members are presumed dead.