News Desk
Galolhu Uthuru MP (MDP) Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) has written to Speaker of the People’s Majlis Abdul Raheem Abdulla, demanding key state agencies be summoned to the Security Services Committee (241 Committee) over a security lapse that saw two unauthorised foreign tankers crash into the Sinamalé Bridge.
In his letter to Speaker Abdul Raheem, MP Kudu raised serious concerns regarding national security and maritime oversight. He urged the committee to question relevant authorities about potential negligence surrounding how the vessels entered and remained in Maldivian waters undetected for days.
The two vessels—identified as the KG 1 and AL 1—entered the Maldives on 26 April without official clearance. Despite anchoring near the capital for a week, state authorities only flagged their presence on 3 May. Both tankers were subsequently seized and held under Customs custody until last Thursday night around 10:30 PM, when rough seas caused them to break free from their moorings and collide with a Sinamalé Bridge pillar.
According to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), both vessels later drifted under the bridge structure before sinking roughly 30 nautical miles off the coast.
MP Kudu’s letter asks authorities to clarify key details surrounding maritime surveillance failures, the status of bridge insurance, and efforts to recover damages caused by the impact. He also raised concerns over the welfare of the 20 Indian crew members who were stranded aboard the vessels.
The incident has sparked sharp criticism from local officials, with Male’ City Mayor Adam Azim taking to X to condemn the oversight. He questioned the effectiveness of recent state investments in costly defense equipment while unauthorized vessels sat unmonitored near the capital.
“The country has failed and reached this level of vulnerability because it has been handed over to such careless people,” Mayor Azim stated.
In July, the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) issued an emergency appeal stating that anchors on both vessels had snapped, leaving the crew stranded without food, water, or fuel. Authorities confirmed that most of the crew have since been repatriated, while Immigration officials prepare to deport the remaining nine individuals.
Addressing concerns over structural damage, Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib confirmed that an inspection by China Second Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) found no major structural harm to the Sinamalé Bridge, reporting only minor surface scratches on the pillar.
MNDF stated that officers rescued nine crew members stranded aboard the vessels as the uncontrolled ships drifted under the bridge heading out toward the open sea.
“Because these two oil-carrying vessels were severely aged and deteriorated, they took on water and sank tonight in an area 30 nautical miles east of Male’ Atoll, outside Maldivian territorial waters,” MNDF said in a statement.
