The captains of two ships that were in Maldivian waters without permission and later sank after drifting have asked authorities to clarify what happened to the vessels and their whereabouts.
The two ships had been anchored between Dhoonidhoo and Male' before drifting from their positions on the night of 10 September.
The vessels initially drifted beyond the Carnival area. They later collided with the Sinamale' Bridge before sinking, according to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), which said on the night of 11 September that the incident occurred about 30 nautical miles from the Maldives.
The military did not provide further details about the incident or the condition of the vessels.
A Customs official confirmed on Tuesday that the captains had written to the relevant authorities on Monday seeking clarification about the whereabouts of the ships. The correspondence was sent to Customs, the MNDF and other government agencies, the official said.
The two vessels had previously been detained by Customs and each fined MVR 310,000 for entering Maldivian waters without permission, according to the official. The fines, totaling MVR 620,000, had not been paid when the ships sank.
“The ship sank in the incident while not paying the fine,” the official said.
The vessels were also understood to have been awaiting the appointment of a local agent before the incident. However, efforts to secure an agent were unsuccessful, and the ships eventually began drifting after their anchors reportedly gave way and sank.
One of the vessels, AL 1, has not been officially assigned an IMO number. The other, MT KG 1, is registered in Togo. Both entered Maldivian waters on 26 April.
The vessels were reportedly travelling from Oman’s Shinas port to Kandla in India, but remained anchored in the vicinity of the Maldives for around a week without being identified by authorities. They were eventually identified on 3 May.
The circumstances surrounding their presence in Maldivian waters, their subsequent detention and the events leading up to the sinking have raised questions about how the vessels were monitored during their stay.
Eleven Indian nationals who were aboard AL 1 have also shared a video on social media claiming that the vessel suffered severe damage during rough weather in July.
