Malé, Maldives – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that the Coast Guard and relevant agencies are investigating the black oil spill in the Presidential jetty in Malé City.
MNDF stated that they were informed at 09:10 am yesterday that a large amount of black oil had been dumped between the official jetty and jetty number three.
Coast Guard divers and the Oil Pollution Response Team began removing the black oil from the sea, the MNDF said.
MNDF said the oil spill in the MPL area has been removed and the spill has been controlled. The containment of the oil is now nearing completion, using booms to remove the black oil from the official jetty area.
EPA Director General Ibrahim Naeem told local media today that the jetty area is not a place where many sea life live but there will be some damage.
“The EPA will now look into what happened. They will work with the Coast Guard and everyone. Oiling is prohibited. If you do such a thing, you will be fined,” Naeem said.
More than a thousand liters of oil have been reportedly spilled.
Naeem said the oil was believed to have been spilled from a vessel. The oil is believed to have accumulated in the jetty area with the currents, he said.
