A foreign fishing vessel trespassing in Maldivian waters has been seized by authorities.
The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) confirmed that the Coast Guard intercepted the vessel within the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone. The boat, with five crew members on board, is currently being escorted to the capital, Male’.
Earlier in January, the Coast Guard intercepted another fishing vessel in a similar incident, which was operating in violation of the Maldives Fisheries Act. Just a month earlier, on 26 December 2024, a separate foreign fishing vessel was detected and seized while illegally operating in Maldivian waters. The vessel was located by a drone operated by MNDF’s Air Corps during an operation conducted to secure the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
Additionally, a group of foreigners found illegally operating in a dinghy in Maldivian territory were arrested the same month and handed over to the police.