Maldives-India cargo ferry docks at GDh. Thinadhoo

Maldives State Shipping (MSS) connects Tuticorin in India with Addu and Huvadhoo atolls via a direct shipping line, marking "MV Bonthi 2" as their first vessel carrying goods to dock at Thinadhoo on Tuesday.

Transport Minister, Aishath Nahula spoke at a ceremony to commemorate the historical moment reiterating the commitment that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration has made to improving transportation infrastructure among islands. She made references to the recent establishment of cargo ferry routes between India's Cochin and Kulhudhuffushi, as well as the current shipping connection being developed between Tuticorin, Addu and Thinadhoo within the same vein.

Nahula emphasized that an efficient national transportation framework is critical in order for Maldives to attain a higher degree of sustainability, adding that it is one of the biggest goals of the incumbent administration to do so.

Abdulla Saeed, Managing Director at MSS went on to say that this was an opportunity for businesses in Thinadhoo to ferry cheap goods back from India easily, and that an established cargo schedule could also potentially help reduce the prices of the goods themselves. He also stated that this was a very fruitful opportunity for the youth in the constituency as it would provide them with jobs and some amount of income.

Maldives State Shipping is a state-owned enterprise created in order to have a Maldivian company be able to take part in and bid for importing goods into the country through shipping lines with as little cost as possible, with STO owning a 99.99 percent stake and Fuel Supply Maldives sharing the 0.01 percent.

At the ceremony to commence the direct shipping line, Managing Director at STO Hussam Amr said that the establishment of this service would be a great convenience for communities in that area.

He also went on to say that MSS had helped Maldives acquire large quantities of goods without having to increase the rate at which we air-freight them from abroad, which in turn has helped improve accessibility to goods so that local businesses may stay stocked and operational even during periods of economic strain.

Businesses operating in Huvadhoo Atoll believe that the establishment of a shipping service between Tutincorin in India with Addu and GDh. Thinadhoo will have a favourable effect on the market prices of some goods.

Speaking on the topic, North-Thinadhoo constituency MP Abdul Mughunee expressed that news of this service was a joy for the people of Thinadhoo and that he hoped for leniency for the working class with respect to the Export-Import laws in place to regulate them.

Further noting that Thinadhoo has been an international hub for such activity before, he hoped that this project would be one that proves beneficial for not just Thinadhoo, but all of the south.

The cargo ferry "MV Bonthi 2" ferried over 2,700 tonnes of goods to the country, ranging from construction equipment to fruits and vegetables. It has a maximum carrying capacity of 2,719 tonnes.

Highlighting that a direct shipping line to Addu began on December 10, MSS' MD Saeed said that this received an overwhelmingly positive response from businesses.

He went on to detail a programme in order to improve the efficacy of economic operations.

MSS currently operates the unloading of cargo from the shipping ferries in Thinadhoo as there is no regional port developed on the island as of now.

The Cochin-Kulhudhuffushi shipping route established in September this year is also part of the government's efforts to decentralize business operations to create international platforms for accessing foreign goods in different regions of the country.

MSS invites all interested parties to contact them at their hotline (7309700) or email (sales@stateshipping.mv) for inquieries regarding the carrgo ferry service. MSS is currently scheduled to complete their round-trip across the shipping route once every 20 days.