The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) confirmed on Sunday that a foreign vessel detected within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) last Thursday night was a Sri Lankan-registered fishing boat.

The vessel was located during a patrol operation by an MNDF Air Corps drone.

According to the MNDF, the boat was carrying three individuals at the time of the detection.

The vessel has since been handed over to the police for further investigation.

This marks another successful use of drones in maritime operations.

Earlier this year, in April, the MNDF deployed the drone to locate a missing fishing boat, Farihi 2, which had gone adrift from Meemu Atoll Maduvvari with three people onboard.