Sinamalé Bridge vessel incident referred to parliament’s 241 committee

The case involving two vessels that struck the Sinamalé Bridge on Thursday night has been referred to Parliament’s 241 Committee, which oversees matters related to national security services.

The vessels involved were a fuel-carrying barge and a tugboat that had been under the custody of Maldives Customs Service. They are understood to have been seized after allegedly entering Maldivian waters without authorisation.

Customs has not yet issued an official statement on the circumstances surrounding the vessels.

Videos circulated on social media showed the two vessels drifting before striking the bridge. Housing and Infrastructure Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib has said the incident did not cause major damage to the bridge.

Galolhu North MP Mohamed Ibrahim, known as Kudoo, has submitted the matter to the 241 Committee and asked relevant state institutions to be summoned to explain how the incident occurred.

Among the issues raised by the MP was why authorities reportedly became aware only about a week later that the two vessels had entered Maldivian waters without permission on 26 April, and whether negligence by any agency or official contributed to the situation.

He also sought an explanation as to why the matter had not been resolved despite reports on social media indicating that crew members had remained on the vessels for about five months.

The MP further asked whether relevant authorities had assessed the safety and technical condition of the vessels while they were anchored in the Malé harbour area.

He also sought information on whether the Sinamalé Bridge is insured and what arrangements are in place to recover the cost of any damage caused by the collision.

In his letter to the committee, Mohamed Ibrahim said the incident had exposed concerns over coordination between relevant state institutions and gaps in the country’s national security and monitoring systems.

He called on Parliament to examine the matter and take steps within its mandate.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) also issued a statement on Saturday expressing concern over the incident.

The party said it was concerned that the vessels had remained near Malé despite their condition and the risks involved, although a decision had reportedly been made around six months earlier to move them to a safer location.

The MDP also questioned how the government was able to conclude quickly that the Sinamalé Bridge had not sustained damage and called for accountability over the incident.

It said an incident involving vessels under Customs supervision was unacceptable and warned that similar failures could pose risks to other infrastructure and vessels.

The party also described the reported unauthorised entry and anchoring of vessels near Malé without the knowledge of relevant institutions as a risk to maritime and national security.

The government and the Chinese Embassy in the Maldives have said inspections found no damage to the main structure of the Sinamalé Bridge.

A team from Second Harbour Engineering Company (SHEC), the Chinese company that built the bridge and currently carries out maintenance work, began inspections on the night of the incident.