Fines imposed on ships that have damaged coral reefs in the Maldives have not been paid, an audit has revealed.

The worst offender identified by government auditors is the then owner of fish transporter Emerald Reefer, which damaged part of the Muli Kolhu reef near Addu in November 2011. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the reef was destroyed and unlikely to recover.

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The reefs are vital for the country's two main industries, fishing and tourism, and also protect the low-lying islands from storm surges.

The EPA levies a fine of USD5,560 for every square metre of coral affected, so extensive damage can result in substantial penalties. After 25 days, Emerald Reefer's owner was charged USD45,000 a day for every day it remained on the reef. By the time the ship was removed, it had clocked up a fine of USD2.7 million.

However, the Thai shipowner, Dech Enterprise, has still not paid the fine because of legal issues, according to the audit report for 2011 carried out on behalf of the Maldives Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure. Shortly after the incident, Dech sold the ship to Carina Marine of Thailand, which renamed it New Stream.

In January 2013, Silver Company, the local agent for Liberian-flagged Auguste Schulte, was fined USD4.1 million after it damaged coral near Malé harbour, and Mohan Mutha Exports' general cargo ship Mutha Pioneer attracted a USD1.4 million penalty - later reduced to USD182,000 - for running aground on Thilafushi reef in December 2014.