Regulation being drafted to secure fines from grounded ships

Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation is drafting new regulations to address the issue of foreign vessels running aground in Maldivian lagoons and leaving the country without settling environmental damage fines.

Officials from the Ministry of Transport, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Attorney General's Office briefed the Parliament's Environment and Climate Change Committee on the ongoing efforts to ensure that the state can effectively recover such fines.

The ministry said the most viable solution is to require that all ships entering Maldivian waters be insured. While many vessels are already insured, the ministry said that some still arrive without adequate insurance.

Full cooperation will be extended to the EPA, the Attorney General’s Office, and the committee to resolve the issue, the ministry said.

Assistant Director Hassan Nazeer speaking at the committee meeting said that they are in the final stages of joining the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, which aims to enhance maritime safety and protect the marine environment in the western Indian Ocean.

The ministry is also preparing a specific regulation covering ships that run aground or sink in Maldivian waters. The draft regulation has already received advice from the AG’s office and is expected to be gazetted within the year.

Nazeer said that shipowners are sometimes reluctant to pay the environmental fines, viewing them as excessive compared to the damage caused. He suggested that a review of the fine amounts currently stipulated in law may help facilitate better compliance and more effective recovery of dues.

According to the EPA, more than MVR 825 million in fines for environmental violations remain unpaid as of December last year.