- Minister Saeed announced the new Thilafushi port will be fully operational by November 2028, relieving pressure on the Malé Commercial Harbour.
- Rising cargo volumes, driven by USD 11 billion in tourism projects and growing imports, have strained the existing 40-year-old port's capacity.
- A consortium of three companies is developing the relocated commercial harbour, which Saeed called the solution to a decades-long economic constraint.
Rising cargo volumes are placing pressure on the Malé Commercial Harbour, according to Minister of Economic Development, Transport, and Trade Mohamed Saeed, who said the new port at Thilafushi would be fully operational by November 2028.
Speaking at the opening of the Maldives Maritime Conference, Minister Saeed described the existing harbour’s capacity as a longstanding constraint on economic activity. He said goods were entering the Maldives at an unprecedented rate, increasing the challenges businesses faced in unloading cargo.
Minister Saeed cited approximately USD 11 billion worth of tourism projects currently underway as an example of the activity driving demand for imports. He also said 5,000 containers were in the process of being cleared at the Malé port, linking the growing volume of goods to business investment and economic expansion.
The government is relocating the commercial harbour to Thilafushi and has formed a consortium comprising three companies to carry out the development. Minister Saeed said the arrangement reflected the priority given to the project, which would provide modern port facilities once completed.
“God willing, by November 2028, Maldivian businesses and the nation will have a fully functioning, modern port. This will be the solution to the biggest issue that has caused the Maldivian economy to stall and fail to progress at the required pace for nearly four decades,” the Minister said.
Minister Saeed said the existing port had been developed 40 years ago and that successive governments had discussed the need to expand it. He presented the relocation project as a practical response to those longstanding capacity constraints.
The Maldives Maritime Conference brings together local and international maritime experts, industry representatives and other stakeholders to discuss the sector’s development.
