The Civil Court has ruled that the foreign vessel that ran aground on the Kudagiri reef on Kaafu Atoll cannot be allowed to leave Maldives as it has not yet paid MVR 3 million in compensation for the damage caused to the reef by the collision.
The MCV 'Maria Sinthayathirai Ryana' ran aground in the Atoll. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviewed the damage caused by the vessel and fined the shipping agent, Bigwave, on February 28, 2023. The company has been ordered to pay the fine within 30 days and the EPA has banned the vessel from leaving the Maldives.
Bigwave filed a civil suit in May this year over the EPA's ban on the ship. The case stated that since the vessel was made from wood, it was costly to keep the vessel above water and that it was deteriorating.
It argued that the company's agents are suffering financial losses every day the ship is in Maldives. Therefore, an interim order has been sought to declare the departure of the ship illegal. The EPA has also been asked to take responsibility for the damage caused by the ship's detention in Maldives.
The civil court said the fine of MVR 3.9 million had been imposed on the farm for nearly a year and the money had not been paid yet. It is also known that the ship was stopped from departing because it had not paid the money within one month. Therefore, it is not a claim against the EPA, and the Civil Court has ruled that if the ships arriving in Maldives have any money owed to the state, permission to leave Maldives without payment of that money cannot be granted.
