President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said Wednesday that the most significant project currently in the works to expand the economy, increase productivity and facilitate trade was the relocation of the Malé commercial port to Thilafushi.

“The project is progressing well with government agencies and foreign partners,”
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu

He expressed gratitude to ministry officials, company leaders and staff for their hard work day and nite.

Maldives Ports Limited briefed him on the progress of the relocation. The project has been given special priority by the government and the president has earlier given his full assurance that a fully equipped port can start functioning at Thilafushi in November next year.

The first 100 meters of the special quay wall for the inner harbor have now been constructed on-site. Work is underway on land leveling and road construction and some 40 per cent of the backfilling behind the quay wall has been completed. Precast concrete blocks for the quay wall are being cast on site, machinery and equipment are being procured and work is under way on the selection of a contractor for the terminal buildings.

The port will come up in a 60-acre site. This is expected to rise to 1.8 million TEU a year on completion of the full project, from 390,000 TEU a year at opening. It will have a 375 meter quay wall for international container ships at a depth of 14.6 meters, with room to extend the wall to 1.4 kilometers. There is also a separate quay wall of more than about two kilometers planned for domestic vessels .

Once the new quay is operational, MPL anticipates that cargo turnaround time will fall to approximately two days from the current norm of seven to 14 days at the Malé commercial port. When the port opens it will have two ship-to-shore quay cranes and one mobile harbor crane installed.