Landing craft runs aground on Vaadhoo reef

A landing craft ran aground on the reef of G.Dh. Vaadhoo on Tuesday evening.

The incident was first reported in a Facebook post by a user identifying themselves as “Mi Meeha,” who said the vessel had gone ashore on the island’s reef earlier in the evening.

Vaadhoo Council President Hassan Abdullah confirmed to Sun that work is currently underway to refloat the vessel since. He said the landing craft is believed to have run aground because the approach to the reef was not properly assessed.

Hassan noted that although Vaadhoo does not have a functioning reef light, STO oil barges and other vessels regularly navigate the same channel to load and unload without incident.

“From the photos, it’s clear that any licensed captain should have been able to assess the approach even without a reef light. You look for alternative markers, other lights, and you navigate cautiously,” he said.

Hassan added that large sections of Vaadhoo’s reef are already degraded and not regenerating. He said the council will investigate the grounding and share its findings with the relevant authorities.