Rasfari Island

Coral Cultivation Begins Under Rasfari Reef Restoration Project

Coral cultivation has commenced on the reef at Rasfari Island in Kaafu Atoll under the 'Restore Rasfari' project, which aims to restore damage from the MV Navios Amaryllis grounding on 18 August 2021. The vessel damaged 8,876 square meters, with 2,882 square meters completely decimated. The reef, protected since 1995 under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, was fined MVR 154.2 million by the EPA. Minister Aminath Shauna and EPA Director General Ibrahim Naeem inaugurated the project on 5 October 2023. Partners include Dhiraagu, MACL, and Landscaping Solutions, which allocated US$3.5 million to an EPA trust fund. The five-year project will attach live coral fragments and monitor growth.