On October 3, a foreign tugboat ran aground on Sh. Milandhoo reef, and in connection with the damage caused to the reef, the owner of the vessel was fined over 12 million Rufiyaa.
The tugboat that ran aground is the "Shwe Lin Yone", registered in the Republic of Niue, which arrived in the Maldives under the agency of Atoll Navigation Services Private Limited. While the vessel was refloated from the reef on October 19, a joint survey was conducted on November 7 and 8, 2024, at the grounding site with surveyors appointed by the vessel's owner to assess the damages to the reef.
In a press release issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the matter, it was stated that an inspection of the area where the vessel ran aground revealed that 477 square meters of the reef had suffered severe damage and destruction. Therefore, under the Regulation on Determining Fines and Compensation for Environmental Damages formulated under the Maldives Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, the fine amount determined for the damages to the reef environment is MVR 12,006,200.00 (Twelve million, six thousand, two hundred Maldivian Rufiyaa).
The Environmental Regulatory Authority notified the vessel's owner, a Singaporean company named Gloha Maritime Private Limited, of the fine amount and the imposition of the fine on the 19th of this month. The company has been given a period of 30 days to pay the money.
