Sri Lankan Fishing Boat Fined and Confiscated by the State

The Civil Court has ordered the fining of a Sri Lankan boat for illegally fishing in Maldivian waters, confiscating the vessel, its equipment, and goods to the State.

The State filed charges in this case requesting the court to declare that the penalty notice sent by the Fisheries Ministry to P.S.S. Fernando, the owner of the Sri Lankan vessel "Sudisa Putha 02" which entered and fished in Maldivian waters, is a proven debt. Furthermore, the State requested the court to facilitate the lump-sum payment of this money to the State and to confiscate the vessel.

In connection with this lawsuit filed by the State, the Civil Court ruled yesterday that the MVR 700,000 owed by the boat's owner, P.S.S. Fernando, to the Fisheries Ministry is a proven debt, and ordered the payment to be made to the Civil Court within 15 days from yesterday. Additionally, the court ordered the confiscation of the vessel used for fishing, its equipment, gear, goods, and all items used in committing the offense to the State.

Earlier in March, the Civil Court also ruled to fine and confiscate another Sri Lankan fishing boat that was seized for entering Maldivian waters in 2018.

In the lawsuit filed by the State against that boat, requesting the vessel to be fined and confiscated, the Civil Court ruled in favor of the State, ordering the confiscation of the vessel and everything used on it to the Maldivian State. The court also fined the boat MVR 400,000 and ordered the money to be paid to the State within a week.

Foreign vessels have previously been intercepted while attempting to fish illegally within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Maldives. These include fishing vessels belonging to Sri Lanka.