State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, His Excellency TAKEI Shunsuke, and Ambassador of Japan to Maldives Her Excellency Mrs. Takeuchi Midori handed over a specialised vessel for marine pollution response to the Minister of Defence Her Excellency Uza. Mariya Ahmed Didi, at a ceremony held yesterday in MNDF HQ.
The specifications of the vessel are:
- Manufacturer / Model: YANMAR CO.,LTD. / DA55V-II
- Overall length: 16.64m, Overall width 3.63m, Total depth 1.65m
- Gross tonnage: 14 tonnages
- Number of passengers: 14
- Cruising range Approx. 400 nautical miles at about 13kt (Approx. 740km at about 24km/h)
- Maximum speed 24kt (Approx. 44km/h)
This vessel is donated in line with the Exchange of Notes signed between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of Maldives in December 2018 under the Economic and Social Development Programme.
In addition to this vessel, in August 2020, oil spill response equipment (oil booms, oil absorbent tools and other equipment) in value of three hundred million Japanese Yen (¥ 300,000,000) which is equivalent to 43 million Maldivian Rufiyya, were donated to the Maldives National Defence Force. A training on oil spill response for five Coast Guard officers was also conducted at the Maritime Disaster Prevention Center (MDPC) in Yokosuka, Japan in October 2019 as part of the assistance.
The Government of Japan hopes that the equipment will strengthen the capacity and capability of the Maldives National Defence Force Coast Guard to respond to maritime pollution incidents.
