HISTORY

Prior to 1950, port activity in Malé consisted solely of portage of goods from anchored ships, and manual unloading and warehousing. The Maldivian National Trading Corporation (MNTC), founded in the 1950s, and the Orchid Company, (founded a few years later), began utilizing mechanized equipment at the port including barges, tugboats and cranes. The government assumed port operations after the two companies were dissolved, and in 1983, Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) was formed as a state corporation owned by the state and public. The Male’ Commercial Harbour Project (1985), saw the renovation and modernization of the port; dredging and restructuring the harbor and constructing new jetties, office, office buildings and container terminals. Maldives Ports Authority (MPA) was formed shortly after in 1986 as the sole operator of ports in Maldives. MPA was corporatized as Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) in July 2008.