- Certain Malé Commercial Harbour services will begin operating from Thilafushi in October, with 80 percent of port services set to relocate.
- A 100-metre quay wall at Thilafushi is expected to be completed by October, with container clearance initially handled by an 80-metre barge.
- Minister Saeed said the 40-year-old Malé port needed relocation to address challenges, with major Thilafushi development expected by November next year.
Certain services of the Malé Commercial Harbour will begin operating from Thilafushi in October as the government moves ahead with plans to relocate 80 percent of the port’s services to the island.
Economic Development, Transport and Trade Minister Mohamed Saeed announced the timeline during a visit to Thilafushi on Wednesday to inspect the ongoing relocation work and brief businesses on the transition.
Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) Managing Director Hussain Shafeeq said construction of a 100-metre quay wall at Thilafushi is expected to be completed by October. Container clearance operations will initially be carried out using an 80-metre barge positioned alongside the quay wall.
The new facility will also provide services for loading cleared goods onto vessels. Shafeeq said the port will operate around the clock for businesses bringing goods to and clearing goods for Malé and Hulhumalé.
He said operations will run simultaneously from the existing 100-metre quay wall in Malé and the new 100-metre quay wall in Thilafushi once services begin in October.
Minister Saeed described the Malé Commercial Harbour as a 40-year-old facility and said previous administrations had not undertaken sufficient work to strengthen its services.
He said the current administration initiated the relocation project to address challenges facing the existing port and support a new direction for the Maldivian economy.
Minister Saeed said the project is progressing rapidly and that the Thilafushi facility is expected to undergo significant development by November next year.
The minister, accompanied by Shafeeq and senior MPL officials, met importing companies during the visit to explain how port services will transition to Thilafushi.
The government plans to relocate 80 percent of the Malé Commercial Harbour’s services to Thilafushi as part of the project.
