MALÉ, Maldives — Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) hosted a consultation session with media stakeholders on August 1, 2026, to share updates and gather feedback regarding the ongoing relocation of the Malé Commercial Harbour to Thilafushi.
The meeting follows a series of high-level stakeholder engagements involving government ministries, state institutions, and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) aimed at ensuring a seamless transition for the nation’s primary maritime logistics hub.
Speaking at the forum, MPL CEO Captain Hussain Shafeeq emphasized that active consultation across public and private sectors is critical to building a port infrastructure that aligns with the nation’s long-term commercial needs.
“The purpose of this consultation meeting is to gather essential information needed from our stakeholders for the project to relocate Malé Commercial Harbour to Thilafushi, and to initiate the relocation work alongside it. Additionally, it aims to facilitate the move to Thilafushi in line with the vision of all institutions, making it as convenient as possible for businesses,” stated Captain Hussain Shafeeq.
Interim Operations to Tackle High-Season Imports
To alleviate severe congestion at the existing Malé Commercial Harbour, MPL confirmed that interim port operations at Thilafushi will commence around October this year. This step is specifically timed to manage the expected surge of import goods during the upcoming peak tourism and trade season.
Key temporary and phase-one measures include:
Container Yard Expansion: Land leveling and paving across a 3-hectare area in Thilafushi to serve as dedicated temporary container storage.
Empty Container Depot: Scaling up the depot capacity to manage over 3,000 TEUs, freeing up crucial space at the primary terminal.
Streamlined Cargo Handling: Deploying container scanning equipment, dedicated customs clearance inspection zones, and local quay wall access to accelerate cargo release.
Key Technical Specifications & Revised Timelines
The full scope of the Thilafushi development expands the nation’s commercial harbor capacity roughly tenfold compared to the current site in Malé. Final plans for the maritime complex include over 1,000 meters of international berth space and more than 2,000 meters of domestic quay walls.
Major construction milestones contracted for the project feature:
- International Quay Wall: A 375-meter international quay wall with a depth of 14.6 meters, designed to accommodate larger container vessels.
- Domestic Quay Wall Network: An 820-meter domestic quay wall (5 meters deep) alongside an additional 100-meter domestic segment to handle inter-island freight distribution.
While interim clearance and container operations ramp up this October to support peak import demands, construction on the main international quay wall is targeted for completion by October 2027, with the full port facility scheduled to be fully operational by November 11, 2027. Once fully operational, the facility is projected to cut average vessel turnaround times from seven days to just two days.
