19 boats grounded for failure to meet safety standards

19 boats scheduled for internal travel during the Eid Al Adha holiday have been grounded for failure to meet safety standards, reports Maldives National Defense Force.

MNDF said it ran a special operation to check safety standards of passenger ferries during the holiday. The authority reports that it has checked 92 passenger ferries; 63 of which met the safety standards, while 19 did not.

MNDF Coastguard’s “Operation Alha” was launched on Wednesday, August 30 and was concluded this Saturday.

Officers ensured all requirements stated in the certificate for safety of sea vessels were met. This included ensuring captains of the ferries had license to operate sea vessels, marine VHF checks, checking passenger carriage limit, and ensuring all passenger safety requirements have been met.

MNDF Coastguard will also be checking passenger ferries when they travel back to Male’ City from the atolls.