MPL Consults Business Community on Thilafushi Port Development

Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) has held a high-level consultative meeting with members of the business community as part of ongoing stakeholder engagement for the relocation of the country’s commercial port to Thilafushi.

The meeting, held on Monday at Meeruma, was led by MPL Chief Executive Officer Captain Hussain Shafeeg and the company’s senior management team. According to MPL, the session aimed to provide business owners with updates on the progress of the Thilafushi Port Development Project while gathering feedback from one of the project’s key stakeholder groups.

During the discussions, business representatives shared suggestions and constructive feedback on improving operational efficiency and ensuring smooth port operations once the new facility becomes operational.

MPL said the consultation forms part of a wider engagement process involving government ministries, state-owned enterprises, media organizations and labour groups to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

The relocation of the Malé Commercial Port to Thilafushi is one of the flagship infrastructure initiatives under President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration. The project is intended to address the long-standing space limitations at the existing Malé port while easing heavy traffic congestion in the capital by shifting cargo-related activities to Thilafushi.

Once completed, the new port will be approximately 12 times larger than the current commercial port in Malé and will feature modern infrastructure, advanced cargo-handling technology and facilities designed to improve operational efficiency.

President Muizzu has announced that official port operations at the new Thilafushi facility are scheduled to begin on November 11, 2027. The government has said the port will operate around the clock as a 24-hour logistics hub, strengthening the Maldives’ trade infrastructure and supporting future economic growth.

The government has previously stated that around 80 percent of cargo operations will eventually be shifted from Malé to Thilafushi as part of the relocation, a move expected to reduce congestion in the capital while improving cargo handling capacity and overall port services.