The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has fined a fuel barge that ran aground Noomara reef with MVR 61 million.
The fuel barge, Marine Power 2317, ran aground Sh. Noomara reef in October 2019. EPA said the vessel had been fined MVR 61,681,316.00 under the Environment Protection Act as compensation for the damage sustained to the reef in the incident. EPA said the vessel's local agent, Rohof Private Limited, has been instructed on December 2 to make the payment within 30 days, said EPA.
EPA surveyed Noomara reef to assess damages after the barge was refloated and its submerged parts recovered. The survey showed 132 square meters of the reef were directly impacted due to the accident.
