Civil Court on Monday issued a temporary travel ban on Nekton's 'Odyssey' for failure to clear fuel payments.

The Hawks Ltd had filed a case against Nekton on 9 September in regards to the USD 186,900 in fuel charges that are yet to be cleared. The oil company stated that they had provided 105,000 litres of diesel to the Ocean Exploration and Education vessel used by Nekton Maldives in their recent underwater expedition in the Maldives. Hawks added that the company had tried multiple avenues before filing a case against Nekton over the due payments.

The Civil Court issued a temporary ban on Nekton's 'Odyssey' based on the claimant's appeal, citing that Hawks would likely suffer irreparable damages if the vessel departs without settling the dues.

As such, the Civil Court issued an order asking the relevant authorities to prevent the vessel from departing Maldives. The sentence was carried out in Nekton's absence by Civil Court Judge Farhad Rasheed.

The deep sea expedition by Nekton Maldives Mission was carried out from September 4 to October 5 with multiple scientists. Nekton has also publicised several findings from the expedition.