China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has been awarded the contract to develop the international and domestic port facilities at the Thilafushi Commercial Port.

The agreement was signed at a ceremony held at the Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) headquarters, with MPL Chief Executive Officer Hussain Shafeeq signing on behalf of the company and CHEC Country Manager Mao Bao representing the contractor.

Under the agreement, CHEC will construct a 375-metre international quay wall with a depth of 14.6 metres for container vessels, as well as an 820-metre domestic quay wall with a depth of five metres for cargo vessels operating within the Maldives.

MPL said the project will expand the country's port capacity, strengthen maritime transport and logistics infrastructure, and improve the efficiency of cargo handling operations.

The company added that awarding the contract to CHEC marks another major milestone in the Government's project to relocate the commercial port from Malé to Thilafushi, which is expected to provide a long-term solution to congestion at the existing commercial port.

The Government aims to complete the Thilafushi Commercial Port by 11 November next year. Once operational, the new facility is expected to reduce cargo clearance times from the current five days to around 48 hours.