Since last April, two vessels carrying 20 Indian crew members remained stationed within Maldivian waters using a single shared anchor. During a recent storm, the anchor cable snapped, causing the vessels to drift uncontrollably. The crew, who had already been in dire conditions due to the depletion of food and fuel supplies, had been seeking urgent assistance. The drifting vessels initially ran aground on the reef near the Male’ Carnival area, causing significant environmental damage, before drifting under the Sinamale’ Bridge and moving towards the southern side of the capital. The crew members of these two vessels, which were under the supervision of Maldives Customs, have now been rescued by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
