The Vietnamese boat than ran aground in Fuvahmulah has been sunk in the Indian Ocean according to Abdul Rasheed Naafiz the Chairman of Transport Authority. Naafiz said that he was informed by the agent of the boat that it has been sunken.
Naafiz said that they gave the permission for them to take away the boat because, if it sinks in the Maldives the damages to the environment will be huge. “If it had sunk in the Maldives, there will be various problems. Lot of damages will occur to the ocean. Even problems like oil leak will occur” said Naafiz.
Naafiz said that they still haven’t assessed the full impact cause to the environment by the boat. “Due to the strong currents in that area, divers cannot dive. That is why we haven’t even been able to measure the whole area of impact. EPA still haven’t been able to do it” said Naafiz.
Naafiz said that the maximum they can fine in such cases is 633.7 million Rufiyaa and they have informed the owner of the boat about it. “But this is not the total amount we are claiming for. We can start talking with them once EPA finishes their work. The owner of the boat said that they will pay for the damages. Then the next step is finding a solution after talking with them” said Naafiz.
Naafiz said that the crew of the boat is still in Maldives and the owners of the boat agreed to keep the captain and the chief engineer of the boat in Maldives till they are done with the payment.
The boat that ran aground in Fuvahmulah has been sunk in the Indian Ocean
