The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oblu-Select Sangeli resort, operated by Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, to support the country’s largest coral reef restoration effort currently underway at the Rasfari Marine Protected Area.

The agreement formalises the resort’s participation in the Rasfari Reef Restoration Programme, a major initiative aimed at rehabilitating the reef following a large-scale environmental incident in 2021. The programme involves activities such as coral nursery cultivation, reef rehabilitation, and replanting efforts.

The restoration project was launched after the Panama-flagged cargo vessel Vinavios Amaralis ran aground on Rasfari reef on August 19, 2021. The ship, en route from India to South Africa, drifted into the lagoon due to engine failure, causing extensive damage to nearly 9,000 square metres of coral. As compensation, the vessel's owners paid USD 10 million in fines to the Maldivian Government.

The Rasfari reef, protected since 1995, is one of the most ecologically significant areas in the Malé Atoll and plays a critical role in local marine biodiversity.

In addition to the latest agreement with Oblu-Select Sangeli, the EPA previously signed a partnership in October 2024 with the Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) to provide technical and logistical support for the programme. MWSC committed to supplying water systems on board an environmental vessel and contributing survey materials and transport services as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives.

With this new partnership, the EPA aims to accelerate the progress of the reef restoration work, which it describes as the most extensive effort of its kind undertaken by the Government.