Platform righting delayed to ensure less damage on reef: Ministry

Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (MNPHI) explains the delays on righting the crashed Thila Male' bridge platform.

The project's manager from the ministry, Mohamed Jinan explained the delay was primarily owed to ensuring least environmental impact during the righting process. Jinan affirms the process will conclude approximately within two days.

Jinan further detailed the reason for the accident. The platform had crashed on the house reef from south-east coast of Vilimale' after one of the spuds came loose. The structure is hoisted to four anchor spuds.

"The incident occurred owing to ocean currents while mobilization of the platform was ongoing," Jinan stated.

The ministry prioritized fixing the strayed platform in place using tug boats. However, attempts made to tow the platform outwards did not succeed.

"A diving team dispatched by the contractor assessed the area for the condition of the spuds. They discovered three of them had been stuck to the reef trench. We learned that one of the spuds had gotten stuck deeper within the reef trench," Jinan added.

He further explains towing of the platform without removing the spud will result in excessive damage to the reef structure. The team is currently working on removing the stuck spuds from the area.

Active work on removing the stuck anchors commenced on Wednesday, August 24.

While this marks the first time such an incident occurred, several platforms have been previously hoisted in the area for preliminary works on the bridge structure.

Despite the challenges with the capsized platform, project contractor Afcons affirm there will be no additional expenditure in the overall project components.

Following the incident, Planning Ministry along with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the project contractor held discussions to right the structure. Post meeting, EPA announced they will conduct an environmental impact assessment to survey the damages to the reef structure.

Meanwhile, the noticeable delay in righting the platform has attracted public lambaste and concerns from pro-environment associations. Earlier, both 'Save the Beach Maldives' and 'Vilijoali' released a joint statement urging all relevant state bodies to expedite the platform removal process.