Foreign tugboat fined MVR 12 million for damage to Milandhoo reef
The vessel sank about 15 days after arrival.
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A foreign tugboat has been fined MVR 12 million for causing damage to the reef of Sh. Milandhoo last year.
The Environmental Regulatory Authority said the tugboat Shwe Lin Yon, registered in the Republic of New Zealand, arrived in the Maldives in October last year under the agency of Atoll Navigation Services.
The vessel sank about 15 days after arrival. Surveyors appointed by the ship’s owner later identified damage to the coastline.
According to the authority:
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477 square metres of the reef were destroyed
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Under the Penalties and Compensation for Environmental Damage Rules, the damage was valued at MVR 12 million
The government on Wednesday ordered the owner, Singapore-based Gloha Maritime Company, to pay the compensation within one month.
A similar incident occurred five years ago when a vessel carrying goods for Fenaka ran aground on the Milandhoo coast.
Vessels are often fined for grounding on Maldivian reefs, but only a limited number of operators settle the penalties.
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