Boat located using drone identified as Sri Lankan flagged

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has identified the illegal vessel which was located in Maldivian waters using drone last Thursday and subsequently seized as a Sri Lankan fishing boat.

MNDF, on Thursday, revealed it had located and seized an illegal foreign fishing boat in Maldivian waters using an Air Corp drone as part of an operation conducted to maintain the security of Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, no further details were provided.

In an update on Sunday, MNDF identified the vessel as a Sri Lankan fishing boat, adding there were three people aboard at that time.

The authority noted that the vessel has been handed over to the Maldives Police Service.

Prior to this, MNDF has used drones to locate a vessel that had gone missing at sea. The authority has also used drones to locate vessels operating illegally in Maldivian waters.

The MNDF launched its Air Corps, utilizing drones for surveillance acquired from Turkiye, on March 15, 2024.

These state-of-the-art air vehicles can fly between speeds up to 70 to 120 knots for 27 consecutive hours while reaching a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet above ground.