Malé, Maldives – The extended coastal surveillance radar system established in the Maldives with the assistance of India was officially handed over to the Maldives on Sunday.
The ten radars installed across the Maldives in two phases will focus on ensuring the protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Maldives as well as for the purposes of maritime search and rescue operations.
The radars will be controlled from the main center in Vilimale’ by trained officers of the Maldives Coast Guard, and will be linked via a main network to similar systems established in neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Mauritius and Seychelles.
The system was inaugurated by Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid and External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar, in a ceremony on Sunday.
Chief of Defence Force Major General Abdulla Shamal said that the system would elevate search and rescue capabilities of Maldives, and monitor illegal activities at sea, increasing maritime domain awareness.
MNDF said that the system will expand the agency’s capabilities, and improve the efficiency of the execution of MNDF’s duties and responsibilities.
