Installation of the 10 radar systems gifted by the Indian government to protect the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) will be completed within the end of this year, Maldives military said Saturday.
In a press conference held at the Coastguard building on Saturday, Major Ahmed Mujthaba stated that work on four of the radar systems has already been completed and that the remaining six will be installed before the end of the year.
After the radar systems have been connected with the coastguard stations the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) will begin using the systems, he added.
“Four out of ten stations have already been installed and God willing, we will be able to connect the systems with our stations by midyear”, Mujthaba explained.
Mujthaba said that since the Maldivian economic zone needs to be constantly monitored, the Electro Optical Sensors in the new systems would enable the coastguard to do so from the command center.
He also said that these radar systems alone were insufficient to monitor the entire Maldivian Exclusive Economic Zone and that more equipment will be required to do so.
Speaking at the press conference, Coastguard Commander Brigadier General Ali Zuhair said the priroty for the coastguard was to prevent piracy and other unlawful activities being carried out in in the Indian Ocean.
