The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) is preparing to add 17 more patrol vessels to its fleet as the government moves to significantly expand the Coast Guard’s ability to monitor the country’s vast maritime territory.
Minister of Defence and National Service Hassan Rasheed said some of the new vessels are expected to arrive as early as November, adding to three patrol craft that have already been acquired.
Rasheed disclosed details of the ongoing expansion while responding to a question about the country’s preparedness for potential security threats during the eighth Ahaa public forum on Saturday night.
The minister said the MNDF remains prepared to respond to threats but stressed that maintaining a fully capable defence force requires personnel to have access to the necessary vessels, equipment and other resources.
Expanding maritime patrol capacity has become a major component of the government’s defence policy, particularly given the geographical nature of the Maldives and the enormous area of ocean that security forces are required to monitor.
Three new vessels intended for patrol operations have already been secured, while work is underway to bring another 17 into service.
The planned expansion is not a newly announced target. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu told Parliament in his 2026 Presidential Address that 17 additional interceptor craft would be inducted during the year as part of an effort to double the operational capacity of the Coast Guard. The President also said financing had been secured for two harbour craft patrol vessels.
The Coast Guard fleet has already received several significant additions during the administration’s efforts to expand the country’s maritime surveillance capabilities.
In August 2025, the MNDF commissioned Dharumavantha, a naval vessel donated by Türkiye. The vessel has since been deployed alongside MNDF Air Corps drones for surveillance operations in the country’s southern waters.
Australia has also supported the expansion of the fleet, donating a Guardian-class patrol vessel that was commissioned as CGS Imaduddin in July this year.
Alongside additional vessels, the MNDF has increasingly turned to aerial surveillance to monitor Maldivian waters.
The MNDF Air Corps began operating Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones in 2024, giving the military its own long-endurance aerial surveillance capability for monitoring the country’s maritime territory.
Those capabilities have since been used alongside Coast Guard vessels during surveillance and search operations.
Rasheed said the combination of maritime and aerial resources is particularly important because the overwhelming majority of Maldivian territory consists of ocean, requiring security forces to monitor an area far larger than the country’s inhabited landmass.
The minister also revealed that 12 sea ambulances are currently under construction as part of the wider effort to increase the MNDF’s capabilities at sea.
The latest Ahaa forum was jointly organised by the President’s Office and Public Service Media. The session featured Rasheed alongside Economic Development, Transport and Trade Minister Mohamed Saeed and Attorney General Ahmed Usham, with members of the public given the opportunity to question senior government officials directly.
Rasheed said the ongoing investments are intended to strengthen the country’s ability to protect its maritime and aerial domains and ensure that the MNDF has the resources required to respond to security threats.
With three patrol vessels already secured and another 17 expected, the planned acquisitions would represent a substantial expansion of the Coast Guard’s patrol fleet as the government continues its broader programme to strengthen maritime surveillance and defence capabilities.
