Maldives discussing with China installation of devices for research in Maldivian waters: Reports

Male: Discussions are underway between the Maldives and China to install devices on fish aggregating devices (FADs) placed in the ocean to collect chemical and physical information of the sea in addition to detecting fish movements in the Indian Ocean, a media report said Friday.

The development comes more than a year after a Chinese research vessel, Xiang Yang Hong 03, travelled and docked in Maldivian waters for about a month starting from January 2024, much to the chagrin of Indian authorities.

On Friday, news portal RaajjeMV said: “At a time when the Maldivian fishing industry has reached an all-time low, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam has met with a senior team from China's Second Institute of Oceanography.” Taking to social media platform X following the meeting, the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources revealed that discussions revolved around ways to further strengthen relations between the two parties, the portal said.

Officials from the Second Institute also met with officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment as well as the Meteorology Department, it added.

The Maldives government has not disclosed details of any of these meetings and only stated that opportunities for collaborative research were discussed, RaajjeMV said and quoted a reliable source to report that China has proposed to install these devices for research in Maldivian waters.

“While the government has not disclosed any information about the devices to be installed, it is understood that the devices installed on FADs in the ocean will collect chemical and physical information of the sea in addition to detecting fish movements,” it said.

China is currently working with the Meteorology department to obtain the necessary permits for the work, the news report added.

The news portal also said there was another agreement signed between the South China Sea Institute of Oceanography and the Maldives Environmental Protection Agency on February 19, 2025, also “understood to be for conducting marine research.” Xiang Yang Hong 03, described as the most modern research vessel in the Chinese fleet, had begun its journey to the Maldives on January 14, barely 24 hours after President Mohamed Muizzu concluded his state visit to China.

The Chinese ship had arrived near the Maldives on January 29 and docked in Male for the first time on February 22. After heading back to the boundary of the Maldives' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the vessel returned after a month and docked in the Thilafushi harbour on April 25.

Maldives Foreign Ministry had earlier said that Xiang Yang Hong 03 was visiting Maldives for the replenishment of stocks and the rotation of its crew.

The Maldives' proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland's western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.