Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam has said that Kaafu Kanduoiy'giri, where Maldives Industrial and Fisheries Company (MIFCO) operated a facility since 1999, had been handed over to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
Shiyam said at a press conference today that the island was handed over to the MNDF on August 3. He added that discussions were ongoing with the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to get the space for fishermen from Hulhumale' harbour.
The government first announced on June 13 that it would relocate the factory at Kanduoiy'giri to Hulhumale'. A big project was previously carried out on the island due to difficulties in using the harbour.
"So we are now negotiating with the HDC to swap Kanduoiy'giri. [To exchange] Kanduoiy'giri with a land from Hulhumale'. We are working with that intention," Shiyam said on June 13 during a fishermen's protest in Male' lagoon.
However, he did not give a date for the relocation of the facility during today's press conference.
The harbour upgradation project on Kanduoiy'giri was part of the Development of Fisheries Sector Project implemented by the Government under the Fisheries Ministry with the assistance of the Saudi Fund for Development.
The work was awarded to Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) in May 2022 for MVR 77 million. It was a project to transform the harbour to enable fishing boats to dock safely and securely.
A 125-metre quay wall and a 265-metre breakwater were installed under the project. The latest satellite images show that most of the project work is now complete.
