Sustaining Harbor Operation and Maintenance in Maldives

Abstract

In 2016, the Government of Maldives received a grant amounting to $9.69 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to construct a new passenger and cargo harbor as an expansion of the existing multipurpose harbor on Kulhudhuffushi Island. For the investment in the harbor infrastructure to be effective and sustainable, ADB provided technical assistance of $0.5 million to support the government to (i) enhance the institutional capacity of the operator in harbor operation, maintenance, safety, and financial management; and (ii) help promote income-generating livelihood opportunities for local communities in the northern region. The project improved interisland connectivity in the northern region by increasing (i) harbor passenger and cargo capacity in Kulhudhuffushi and (ii) institutional capacity in harbor operation, maintenance, safety, and financial management. The technical assistance was implemented from August 2017 to June 2018. This document summarizes the challenges and recommended mitigation actions for the Government of Maldives in sustaining harbor operation and maintenance. It is distributed among key stakeholders and local councils to increase awareness on the need for sustainable harbor operation and maintenance in all public harbors in Maldives. The full version of the technical assistance report can be found on the ADB website (footnote 1).