The Maldives Coast Guard stopped two foreign fishing boats on Thursday in waters south of the country, as the Muizzu government stepped up maritime enforcement following its rejection of an international ruling on maritime boundaries.
The Ministry of Defence posted photographs showing two fishing vessels surrounded by Maldives Coast Guard ships during the operation. Sources said the boats were Sri Lankan fishing vessels. The Coast Guard vessel involved was Dharumavantha.
According to information released by the defence ministry, the boats were intercepted 104 nautical miles off Gan Island, Addu City. Authorities have not said whether the vessels were seized or whether any legal action was taken.
Legal and maritime experts familiar with the case said the interception site lies within waters allocated to the Maldives even under the ruling of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). They said Under the ITLOS boundary, the line of delimitation is farther than 104 nautical miles from Gan in all directions. The experts said the disputed area affected by the ruling lies significantly farther south, closer to the Chagos Archipelago.
The interception followed an announcement earlier on Thursday by the defence ministry stating the Maldives had taken control of territorial waters in the southern Chagos area, directly challenging the ITLOS ruling.
In a statement posted on X, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said its Coast Guard ship Dharumavantha and Air Corps drones had launched a special surveillance operation over what it described as the Southern Special Economic Zone. The operation began on 4 February and covers up to 200 nautical miles from the southern baseline.
The defence ministry said the operation followed President Mohamed Muizzu’s declaration during the opening session of Parliament. It said the state does not recognise any changes to Maldivian territory outside the Constitution and national laws.
Citing Article 115(d) of the Constitution, the ministry said the president holds responsibility for safeguarding independence and territorial integrity. It also cited Article 243, the Armed Forces Act and the Maritime Zones Act as the legal basis for continued military monitoring and protection of maritime zones, including the exclusive economic zone.
Earlier on Thursday, Muizzu told Parliament his administration had withdrawn a letter sent by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the prime minister of Mauritius regarding the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago. He said the government would challenge the ITLOS ruling on the maritime boundary between the Maldives and Mauritius.
Muizzu said consultations with cabinet ministers and local and international legal experts showed the letter sent by the previous administration had adversely affected national security and maritime territory.
Under the ITLOS ruling, the Maldives was awarded about 92,563 square kilometres of disputed maritime area but lost around 45,331 square kilometres from areas previously claimed as part of its exclusive economic zone.
Muizzu said the government would not recognise the maritime boundary set by the tribunal and said Maldivian exclusive economic zone limits were already defined under domestic law through archipelagic baselines in the Maritime Zones Act.
He also said his administration had engaged the British government on the Chagos Archipelago, including sending two letters asserting a stronger Maldivian claim than Mauritius and holding a telephone conversation with the British deputy prime minister.
The dispute centres on the Chagos Archipelago. The tribunal relied in part on an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which found sovereignty over Chagos lies with Mauritius and described the United Kingdom’s former administration of the islands as unlawful.
Muizzu accused the previous administration of legal errors during the proceedings. The former government has rejected the allegation.
The latest Coast Guard action marks the first publicly reported interception of foreign fishing vessels since the Maldives announced active surveillance operations in southern waters following the president’s address to Parliament.