President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stated the relocation of the Male' Commercial Harbor to Thilafushi is currently the most important project for Maldives' economic growth, increasing productivity and supporting business development.
During his visit to Thilafushi to review the work being done to relocate operations at Male' Commercial Harbor to Thilafushi, President Muizzu said all government entities and foreign aid parties are successfully moving forward with the project.
According to the President, the first phase of the relocation will finish and open on 11th November 2027, and that it will be four times larger than the Male' Commercial Harbor.
"It will be larger in size, capacity and other aspects as well. This will result in a major avenue opening up for Maldives' business sector as a whole," said President Muizzu.
He went on to say that the relocation of the Male' Commercial Harbor to Thilafushi is currently the most important project for Maldives' economic growth and business development.
The President highlighted the relevant government ministries, company leadership and employees working hard day and night and expressed his gratitude to them.
President Muizzu previously gave his assurance that the Male' Commercial Harbor will be operational at Thilafushi as a port with complete resources by November 2027 under the government's efforts as a top priority.
The first 100 meters of the inner harbor quay wall has been completed. Ground leveling and road construction work is ongoing, with around 40 percent of the inner quay wall backfilling being completed.
Precast concrete blocks for the quay wall are being produced on-site, with the necessary machinery and resources having been procured, along with contractor selection efforts for the terminal building currently underway.
The government has stated that when the 60-hectare harbor at Thilafushi opens, it will have the space to accommodate 390,000 TEU containers annually. The government also said that when the project is fully completed, this statistic will increase to 1.8 million TEU containers. The harbor will open with a quay wall that has a length of 375 meters and a depth of 14.6 meters, designed for international container vessels. There will be enough space to extend the quay wall to 1.4 kilometers.
Additionally, a quay wall spanning more than 2 kilometers for domestic vessels will also be constructed at the harbor. With the construction of the 375 meter quay wall for international container vessels, MPL estimated it will reduce goods embarkation and disembarkation to a two-day "turn around time".
Currently, the loading and offloading of goods from vessels at the Male' Commercial Harbor takes 7 to 14 days. Once the harbor opens, it will be equipped with two ship-to-shore (STS) quay cranes and one mobile harbor crane.
