Rescue officers with the Maldives National Defence Force have provided assistance to a foreign vessel in Maldivian waters.

The vessel, a fishing boat registered to Iran, was located 17 nautical miles off of Uligamu in Haa Alif by a local fishing crew.

The Maldives National Defence Force has said that the boat needed assistance due to a dysfunctional steering system.

There were six Iranian individuals on board the vessel.