The relocation of services from Malé Commercial Harbour to Thilafushi began today, with Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) starting to issue unopened containers from the Thilafushi Cargo Terminal (TCT).

MPL said in a social media post that the move marks the first step towards transferring commercial harbour operations to Thilafushi. The terminal is expected to expand its services to include container cutting and unloading in the near future.

The relocation of all commercial harbour services is scheduled to be completed by 11 November next year.

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) was awarded the contract for the first phase of the project in February.

Speaking at a ceremony at MPL, the company’s senior business development manager, Mohamed Aiman, said the “Local Harbour Relief” project aims to ease congestion at Male' Commercial Harbour, improve convenience for businesses and speed up port services.

The project will be developed on 20 hectares of land acquired by MPL. The first phase includes a 125-metre alongside berth, an area for cargo vessels serving the atolls, container parking facilities and the installation of a harbour crane.

Aiman said the project would also include a 650-metre quay to accommodate vessels that currently dock at the North Harbour and South West Jetty.

A bonded warehouse will also be established at the new harbour, he said.

Once the first phase is completed, unloading a cargo ship is expected to take 48 hours, compared with the current five to six days, Aiman said.