Muizzu Says Thilafushi Port Relocation Will Boost Trade and Economic Activity

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said the relocation of the Malé Commercial Harbour to Thilafushi will increase the country’s trade capacity and support wider economic activity as work on the new facility progresses.

President Muizzu made the remarks during a visit to the Thilafushi project site on Thursday, where he reviewed construction progress and received a briefing from Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) officials.

The President was received by MPL Chief Executive Officer Captain Hussain Shafeeq upon arrival. He said the project was progressing through coordination between government agencies, state-owned enterprises and external partners, while acknowledging the work of those involved in its implementation.

Dr Muizzu reiterated the government’s target of bringing the new port into commercial operation by November next year.

According to the briefing, the first 100 metres of the inner harbour’s quay wall have been completed.

Land levelling, road construction and backfilling are also under way and have reached approximately 40 per cent completion, while precasting of concrete blocks for the quay wall is ongoing.

The procurement of heavy machinery is also in progress, and contractors are being selected for construction of the main terminal facilities.

The new commercial port is being developed on a 60-hectare site in Thilafushi and is intended to address capacity and congestion issues at the existing commercial harbour in Malé.

The facility is expected to have an initial annual handling capacity of 390,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). According to the project plans, this capacity could eventually increase to 1.8 million TEUs following further development.

The international section will initially include a 375-metre quay wall with a stated draft of 14.6 metres, allowing it to accommodate larger container vessels. The quay wall could eventually be extended to 1.4 kilometres under future development phases.

A separate domestic quay wall, extending approximately two kilometres, is also planned.

The project estimates that container vessels using the new international quay could have turnaround times of about two days, compared with an estimated seven to 14 days at the existing harbour in Malé.

The port is also expected to begin operations with two ship-to-shore quay cranes and one mobile harbour crane for cargo handling.

The relocation is part of the government’s broader plans to expand maritime infrastructure and increase the capacity of the Maldives’ main commercial gateway.