Maldives Immigration has deployed a real-time maritime tracking system in a bid to modernise port surveillance and reinforce operational capacity across the country's busiest seaborne gateway.
Known as the Universal Automatic Identification System, or UAIS, the new platform is now fully operational through the agency's Seaport Division and facilitates continuous monitoring of all vessels within a 30-nautical-mile radius of Malé Port. The immigration agency characterised the initiative as a shift away from the labour-intensive procedures previously used to gather vessel data.
Prior to the rollout, estimates of arrival times were compiled manually through coordination with the Maldives Customs Service and Maldives Ports Limited (MPL), a process that frequently required personnel to engage directly with multiple institutions, according to a statement posted on X.
UAIS now enables the Seaport Division to identify vessels' locations and movement schedules, according to Maldives Immigration, with greater speed and precision, significantly lightening the administrative burden and improving responsiveness in port operations. Immigration authorities have noted that the system conforms to internationally recognised maritime protocols, similar to those adopted in prominent global ports to support safety enforcement and procedural integrity.
In addition to its surveillance capabilities, Maldives Immigration expects UAIS to streamline clearance operations at Malé Port and improve the overall standard of services extended to maritime traffic.