The vessel reportedly entered Sri Lankan waters after crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and was allegedly involved in bottom trawling before running aground on a reef near Delft Island. Sri Lankan Navy media spokesman Commander Chaminda Walakuluge said the Indian trawler was engaged in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters when it suffered the accident on Wednesday. “Due to the impact of grounding on the reef, the trawler has sustained partial structural damage,” the Sri Lanka Navy said in its statement. The incident comes against the backdrop of longstanding differences between India and Sri Lanka over fishing rights in the Palk Strait. As a result, fishermen from India and Sri Lanka are regularly arrested and their boats seized for allegedly entering the other country’s waters.