Landing craft runs aground, blocking Noomara harbor

A landing craft transporting construction material for the new powerhouse in Sh. Noomara ran aground in the harbor channel on Sunday, blocking travel in and out of the island. 

Noomara Council’s president Ali Rabeeu told Sun the incident took place at approximately 01:50 pm on Sunday. 

He said that the landing craft was approximately 100 feet in length. 

Rabeeu said the vessel was wrecked sideways on the rocks to the west of the harbor channel. 

“There’s only a small space between the vessel and the wall to the east. The vessel has been tied using a lot of rope in case it drifts further. So, there’s no space even for a dinghy to pass through,” he said. 

Rabeeu said a tugboat was being brought in from N. Atoll to refloat the vessel. 

Noomara is prone to such incidents. 

“Last week it was the water supply vessel, and a few backs before, it was an FSM fuel barge,” he said. 

A fuel barge, Marine Power 2317 ran aground the Noomara reef in 2019, causing extensive damage. 

A survey by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed the incident caused direct damage to a 1,632-squaremeter area of the reef.     

The barge’s owner was fined MVR 61.6 million. Rabeeu said the council asked for a portion of the fine payment to be allocated to the council, but had yet to receive a positive response.