(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) has intercepted two Indian-flagged fishing vessels suspected of conducting unlicensed fishing activities within Seychelles waters.

The news, which was announced in a press statement Friday afternoon, comes just over a month after two Iranian vessels were detained in the Seychelles on suspicion of illegal fishing activities.

The Seychelles archipelago consists of 115 widely-spread coral and granitic islands, and the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers a vast 1.3 million square kilometres of ocean, an area which is often difficult to police for illegal fishing activities.

The two vessels, Indian-flagged ‘Jersh-Max' (pictured) and ‘Rehoboth’ were intercepted by coast guard vessels and escorted to the Seychelles' main port of Victoria. (Seychelles Coast Guard) Photo License: CC-BY

According to the statement, the two Indian flagged vessels, named ‘Rehoboth’ and ‘Jersh-Max’ were spotted by a local fishing vessel some 50 nautical miles off the eastern coast of the main island of Mahé on Wednesday and alerted the Coast Guard by sending out a distress signal.

The coast guard dispatched a Seychelles Air Force aircraft in response and diverted the SCG’s patrol boat, La Flêche, which was conducting routine patrols.

After the aircraft had located them, the patrol boat moved in to intercept the Indian vessels with the assistance of another coast guard ship and diverted them to Port Victoria, arriving Thursday afternoon.

‘Rehoboth’ and ‘Jersh-Max’ contained ten crew members on each vessel, who were handed over to the Seychelles Fishing Authority and the Seychelles Police for ‘further investigation’.