An oil spill has occurred near Rasfannu’s coastline. MNDF coastguard divers were undoubtedly having a great time over the holiday weekend with family and friends.
However, this was not the case for the tens of thousands of Malé’s swimmers. The Rasfannu was stricken by an oily slick on a drizzly evening.
The report was received by the MNDF Coastguard diving team around 1830 hrs Maldivian time on Thursday, April 16, 2021.
Divers from the Coast Guard have assessed the zone and have activated spill response right away. The images below are from the MNDF’s Facebook page.
On the 17th of September, at 1000 hours, all spill response operations was completed.
At the same time, a few residents in the area have requested assistance from the authorities with the recovery of the spill.
Response to the oil spill
It’s also worth noting that the Maldives is a third-world country that imports oil and conducts STS operations. However, neither a plan nor facilities for responding to an oil emergency were put in place.