A bulk carrier that ran aground on a protected reef in August has been permitted to leave after paying a USD 10 million fee for the damages.
The company that owns the bulk vessel, Navios Amaryllis, paid the fee after losing its appeal with the environment minister, Aminath Shauna, of the fine levied by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This is the biggest fine ever imposed under Maldives’ environmental protection legislation, and it is the first time such a fee has been collected to remedy environmental harm.
In addition to the penalties, the ship’s owner has committed to provide technical support for comparable environmental damage inspections.
After the fines were fulfilled according to the arrangement reached between the state and the ship’s owner, the ship was given permission to depart.
Navios Amaryllis travelling from Tuticorin, India, to South Africa ran aground on the reef west of Rasfari, Kaafu Atoll, on August 19. Authorities informed that the ship was refloated after 10 days on August 29.
The ship’s third engine unit was shut down owing to high temperatures, according to authorities, causing it to be thrown adrift in open water and eventually run aground.
