Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Sunday that it would take five days to fully assess the damage to the northern reef of Fuvahmulah resulting from the grounding of the Vietnamese cargo ship “NGOC Sun”. The cargo ship which ran aground Fuvahmulah reef on August 13 was salvaged after more than a month, on September 15.
Speaking to Public Service Media (PSM), Director General of EPA, Ibrahim Naeem said “a team from the agency is currently working in Fuvahmulah to assess the damage caused to the reef.”
“It would take five days to complete the assessment, but weather conditions are currently not very favourable in the area,” he added.
Naeem said “the assessment, being carried out in collaboration the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), would reveal the exact damages caused by the oil leak and the dumping of aggregate and river sand weighing 1500 tonnes on to the reef.”