Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail has revealed that services for cargo ships will be established in the northern region until a transshipment port is developed. He made the remarks in a written statement to the Parliament of the Maldives in response to an inquiry regarding the date on which services will be established for cargo ships travelling in the northern region and the work being done regarding the resolution submitted by the Hoarafushi constituency.
In the statement, Minister Fayyaz said a working group consisting of officials of the economic ministry and the relevant institutions will begin the work related to the resolution as soon as possible. As such, he said work is being done with the relevant authorities including the Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) and the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation to establish crew change services, ship stores, and supplies in Haa Alifu Atoll. He said the ministry aims to establish these services by the first quarter of 2023.
Furthermore, Minister Fayyaz noted that State Trading Organisation (STO) plans to build fuel storage systems in Haa Alifu Atoll to begin a marine bunkering service to supply fuel for travelling vessels. He said that work is being done to allocate funding, vessels, equipment, and resources for the project.
Ministry of Economic Development has announced it is seeking parties to develop an international transshipment port in Haa Alifu Atoll under a public-private partnership. The economic ministry has stated the port is being developed to cater to the largest cargo ships in the world, with a handling capacity of 1.8 million containers per year, and an investment of USD466 million will be needed for the project.