Farah III shipwreck
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One of the most bizarre and recent historical sites in Sri Lanka.The civil war has just ended in 2009, and northern parts of Sri Lanka ceased being considered a war zone off limits for both local and foreign travelers. Although the Tamil-speaking provinces are developing more and more in the past couple of years, putting behind themselves the atrocities of both rebel armies and government troops, there is still much to be done in Sri Lanka to erase the physical evidence of the Civil War, such as thousands of land mines and this magnificent shipwreck, Farah III.
The Jordanian trawler was en route from India to South Africa with 14,000 tons of rice in the year 2006, when the engines malfunctioned and forced the crew to send out a distress signal and drop the anchors near Muillativu, in the north of Sri Lanka. They were soon boarded by the LTTE
(the rebel
liberation army). The crew was taken safely to the Red Cross, but everything that was on board Farah III looked too
useful to pass. The ship was not simply emptied of its cargo, but also stripped of all the equipment and technical gear.
When the insurance company came to inspect it after the end of the war, there was nothing to claim really, and so the
trawler was left as it is in the waters of Bengal Bay.These days, Farah III is one of the biggest attractions of Mullaitivu – by size for sure.
Getting There
Buses run to Mullaitivu from Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, or
Trincomalee.From Colombo, trains go as far as Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, or Trincomalee.
To get to the shipwreck, you will need to take a taxi or hire a motorbike to move around.
Sleeping and Eating
There is not much in Mullaitivu town itself, although some temples offer to accommodation with very basic conditions. Kilinochchi or Jaffna is a much better option to spend the
night by all means. Tourist industry is still in the early stages of development in these parts of Sri Lanka. On the
other hand, wild camping on the beach is always an option for one night.Mullaitivu has several local eateries: definitely not five-star restaurants, but cheap and traditional.
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Author: wilhelminamurray. Last updated: Oct 15, 2014