Maldives Customs Service has said today that they have decided to acquire a number of drones to assist in monitoring vessels entering the Maldives' border.
Maldives Customs Service has said today that they have decided to acquire a number of drones to assist in monitoring vessels entering the Maldives' border.
Commissioner General of Customs Yoosuf Maniu Mohamed said in today's meeting of the Parliament's Committee on Security Services (241 Committee) that to date, Customs has not had the resources to independently monitor vessels entering Maldives' territory.
Maniu said that this issue would be resolved as the government of Japan is gifting an 85 feet vessel, China government is gifting two vessels, and America is also gifting a vessel.
He added that America and China governments will also be providing a drone.
"We need a drone. There is no way of monitoring vessels that enter this area besides physically going there. We are arranging to send the drone, assess it [the vessel], and then send our vessel if there appears to be a threat," he explained.
Maniu said that monitoring vessels crossing the border into Maldives has so far been conducted with the assistance of Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF)'s Coastguard Services.
He said that an agreement has been entered into to offer assistance, adding that even when the drones are acquired, their operation will be handled in collaboration with MNDF's Air Corps.
"Even if we get the drones, we will work so that the two institutes [MNDF and Customs] work together, and so that the quantity of MNDF drones increase. We will proceed through joint operations," Maniu told the committee.
MNDF Air Corps were established after procuring two drones from Turkey. The two are operated out of the Noonu Atoll Maafaru Airport.
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