Two Sri Lankan fishing vessels were seized near Kelaa in Haa Alifu Atoll yesterday during an operation carried out by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), according to Maldivian media reports.
The MNDF stated that the vessels were detained by the Coast Guard for illegally entering the Maldives’ Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The operation was conducted as part of a joint surveillance effort involving the Coast Guard and the Air Corps, based on intelligence shared by foreign and regional partners.
The vessels were intercepted at around 8:30 a.m., approximately 51 nautical miles off Kelaa. Following the seizure, the boats were handed over to the Maldives Police Service, which has launched further investigations into the incident.
The development comes amid heightened maritime security in the region, particularly in the wake of a major drug trafficking case last month. In that incident, a Sri Lankan fishing vessel carrying approximately 350 kilograms of narcotics was seized in Maldivian waters, leading to the arrest and remand of five Sri Lankan nationals. A Sri Lankan investigative team has since arrived in the Maldives in connection with that case.
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