Reclamation work at Rasmalé has accelerated following the deployment of Jan De Nul’s Cristóbal Colón, one of the world’s largest Trailer Suction Hopper Dredgers. 

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, in a post on his official X account, announced that the vessel began operations today, tripling the speed of land creation for the Maldives’ flagship smart, net-zero carbon eco-city. The dredger was mobilised on 30 November, with dredging starting at 5:00 a.m. and the first discharge at 11:41 a.m. on 1 December.

The development comes as China’s Harbour Engineering Company Private Limited (CHEC) continues large-scale reclamation and coastal protection work under an agreement signed on 2 August 2025. CHEC has deployed a dredger capable of transporting 21,000 cubic metres of sand, doubling the previous capacity, and will reclaim an additional 265 hectares.

Rasmalé involves reclaiming 1,009 hectares from the 1,153-hectare Fushidhiggaru lagoon, with 129.60 hectares completed to date. Once finished, the city is expected to be three times the size of Hulhumalé and will provide 65,000 housing units, along with commercial, industrial, and tourism zones. Designed as a climate-resilient and environmentally conscious development, Rasmalé is the Maldives’ largest climate adaptation project.