NIC probes possible violations by Customs in oil tankers' incident

The National Integrity Commission (NIC) has launched an investigation to determine whether the Maldives Customs Service breached any laws, regulations, or established procedures in connection with an incident involving two large oil tankers that drifted from their anchorage near Malé during rough seas and collided with a pillar of the Sinamalé Bridge.

The incident took place on the night of September 10th and is considered one of the most serious maritime accidents to have occurred in the vicinity of the capital in recent years.

According to the Malé City Council, the two vessels had entered Maldivian waters illegally on April 26 before being taken into Customs custody on May 3. The tankers later broke loose and drifted amid turbulent weather and rough sea conditions.

In a statement on Monday, the NIC said it had launched a suo moto investigation following media reports regarding the incident. The investigation will focus on whether Customs failed to comply with relevant laws, regulations, or established protocols.

Following public concern over the collision, Minister of Construction, Housing, and Urban Development Dr. Abdulla Muththalib said the Second Harbour Engineering Company had conducted inspections to determine whether the bridge had been damaged. He confirmed that the structural integrity of the bridge had not been affected, with only minor surface scratches found.

Customs has stated that the vessels were fined MVR 600,000 in connection with the incident. However, the agency said the tankers drifting was a natural consequence of the weather conditions and rejected allegations of institutional negligence.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) previously said that the two tankers, after drifting beneath the Sinamalé Bridge, eventually sank approximately 30 nautical miles outside Maldivian territorial waters. The 20 Indian crew members aboard the vessels at the time were subsequently taken into the custody of Maldives Immigration.