President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the capacity of the MNDF Coast Guard will be doubled within the five years of this government.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Maldivian Air Corps, he said that the condition of the Coast Guard vessels currently being used at sea is very poor. He noted that although there are about four or five ordinary medium-sized vessels and about ten to twelve small vessels for Coast Guard operations, some of them are in an unusable condition.
"This is a sad matter. Many years have passed without attention being given to these matters. However, this is the Maldivian military. This is absolutely something we must accept, it is not the standard Maldivians deserve." the President said.
The President gave his assurance that this situation will be changed within the five years of this government. He also stated that with the assistance of friendly nations, the capacity of the Coast Guard will be strengthened and doubled.
"What I want to announce here is that, God willing, by the end of these five years, the current capacity of the Coast Guard will be doubled. God willing, vessels of various sizes will be procured. That work is already underway. As I mentioned earlier, together with the government of Turkey, which is very close to us. And also with some friendly countries, those transactions are being carried out. God willing, our Coast Guard's maritime capacity will also continue to increase day by day." the President said.
The President stated that although assistance from other parties was previously sought to study the seabed of the Maldives, from now on that will also be carried out by the military. He added that the financial means required for this have been arranged for the MNDF through the budget, and that within this year, the capacity for hydrography work will be established within the MNDF and they will begin doing it themselves.
