Seychelles, India hold follow-up talks on hydrographic cooperation, data sharing |29 July 2025

A souvenir photograph

Seychelles’ Transport Minister, Antony Derjacques, received India’s Defense Advisor, Captain Velagada Shirdikant, and the Indian high commissioner to Seychelles, Karthik Pande, yesterday afternoon for a follow-up meeting after discussions held at the second Joint Committee Meeting on Hydrography in Dehradun, India last month.

Also present for the two-hour meeting at the Botanical House, Mont Fleuri were various other stakeholders.  Speaking to the press after the talks, chief executive of the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority (SMSA), Captain Daniel Adam, described hydrography as fundamental to national maritime governance and international obligations under Chapter V of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.

He said that much of Seychelles’ charted waters are based on outdated surveys, with some areas relying on obsolete geospatial references.

“We are obligated to provide accurate, up-to-date data for vessels navigating our Exclusive Economic Zone,” he said, warning that older charts present navigational risks.

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