Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) has announced that efforts are underway to clear the backlog caused by a significant increase in vessel arrivals at the Malé Commercial Harbor ahead of the upcoming month of Ramadan.
According to MPL, the simultaneous arrival of numerous vessels for loading and unloading operations, combined with the current space constraints at the Malé Commercial Harbor, has led to operational challenges and a resulting backlog. Since January 12th, seven container vessels have called at the harbor. These vessels carried a total of 3,901 TEUs to be discharged, with 2,700 TEUs scheduled for loading.
The company stated that through the diligent efforts of MPL’s operations teams to resolve the backlog, the volume of undischarged cargo was reduced to 1,250 TEUs by 12:00 PM today. Additionally, 1,118 TEUs remain to be loaded. MPL further noted that out of the vessels that have arrived since the 12th of this month, only two currently remain to be cleared.
Due to the limited capacity of the Malé Commercial Harbor, periods involving the arrival of multiple vessels simultaneously often result in certain operational difficulties. Nevertheless, MPL’s operations teams are working continuously to organize and expedite the cargo discharge process.
The total combined capacity of MPL’s container terminals in the Malé area (Malé Commercial Harbor and Hulhumalé Terminal) is 2,750 TEUs. However, there are currently 5,338 TEUs stored across these terminals.
To enhance service efficiency at the Malé Commercial Harbor, MPL has implemented several measures. This includes the decision to allow international vessels to enter the port limit area 24 hours a day. While this service was previously restricted to 18 hours, it has now been extended to a full 24-hour operation to facilitate faster processing.
