Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) has officially inaugurated the Semi Container Freight Station (CFS) Operations Service, a storage facility situated at the Male' Commercial Harbour (MCH), aimed at expediting the clearance process for imported goods that have experienced delays.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MPL Shahid Ali said that the creation of the storage facility was in response to the needs of small enterprises. He pointed out that these businesses tend to bring in their goods within a single container. He, however, emphasised that any holdup in the clearance of even a portion of the goods would result in a substantial supplementary charge applicable to the entire container. He further highlighted that the swift unloading of containers and the augmentation of storage space would lead to notable savings in container expenses. He also said that the predicament of container delays also poses challenges for the shipping lines.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of MPL Tholhath Saeed indicated that the present storage capacity can accommodate up to 550cbm of imported goods, equivalent to 16 containers. He further reassured that the space challenge is anticipated to be manageable, given the daily occurrence of goods clearance.
MPL has announced a two-month investigation into the current capacity shortage. MPL stated that the possibility of expanding the space in MCH will be explored should additional adjustments be necessary. Notably, MCH manages the unloading of an average of 187 containers daily.