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Navios Amaryllis captain accused of negligent behaviour in grounding off Maldives

The captain of the Navios Maritime Partners supramax bulker Navios Amaryllis that ran aground on a reef in the Maldives last Thursday is being held responsible for the incident by the country’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.

Deputy minister Hamad Abdul Ghanee told local media at a press conference yesterday that the captain failed to report an engine problem to the coastal state before the Panama-flagged ship went aground.

“Prior to the ship running aground, we noticed that the engine problem they were facing was not reported to the coastal state. Moreover, actions which should have been taken in the capacity of a captain, such as anchoring the ship or requesting for help were not done,” Ghanee was quoted as saying.

According to the ministry, the ship’s third engine unit was shut down due to high-temperature levels and caused it to be cast adrift in the open water and subsequently run aground.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Maldives said earlier it believes the 58,700 dwt vessel has caused serious damage to the reef of Rasfari, Kaafu Atoll.

Meanwhile, Tsavliris Salvage has been contracted to refloat the bulker and two tugs from Sri Lanka, as well as a local tug, are in attendance and available. Navios said that a final salvage plan and an oil pollution contingency plan have been agreed in principle with the authorities, including the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

“Salvage operations are being planned in conjunction with the local authorities and a specialist environmental protection company, in view of the environmentally sensitive location,” a spokesperson for the Greek shipping company said.

The Navios Amaryllis was travelling from India to South Africa with 19 Philippine crewmembers, all of whom are safe with no injuries reported.

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.

Comments

  1. So, was she just drifting around waiting for orders with one genny stripped down and the other not working properly?

    1. Sure looks like it. What was he thinking? If this one breaks up there’ll be another candidate for a jail ashore. Were they in close to pick up a cell-phone signal? Why didn’t he shout for help? As usual so many questions, so few answers. I think you’re right. Two generators working, one down for repair, then another goes off line. If they don’t get it off soon it’ll be another “Wakashio”, which we don’t need.

  2. Why is there so many of these cargo ships running aground in area of the world where they are not suppose to be at??? Instead of fixing the problem not to happen again More Cargo Ships are running aground again in most of these same places????…. Navios is suppose to be top notch shipping firm yet I am wondering. What’s up with Navios Partners and Navios Acquisition merging and then this Navios Captain runs his cargo ship aground. I believe their is more to this story then meet the eye Ladies & Gentleman. I think this Captain is telling us something.. Time will tell

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