MTCC makes rapid progress on Thinadhoo cold storage project

Construction of supporting infrastructure for the new cold storage facility in GDh. Thinadhoo is progressing rapidly, as efforts continue to expand fish purchasing and storage capacity in the southern Maldives.
Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) said civil works are currently underway across several components of the fisheries complex, including the administrative building, cold storage facility and dedicated storage buildings for chemicals and salt.
The project includes construction of a 4,790-square-foot administrative office, along with a 261-square-foot chemical storage building and a 266-square-foot salt storage facility.
MTCC will also carry out reinforced concrete paving across an area of approximately 3,050 square feet as part of the development.
The civil works form part of a wider fisheries infrastructure project in Thinadhoo designed to strengthen the purchase, freezing and storage of fish caught by fishermen operating in Huvadhu Atoll.
Plans for the facility include cold storage capable of holding 1,000 tonnes of frozen tuna, alongside freezing infrastructure intended to increase the amount of freshly caught fish that can be preserved during periods of high fishing activity.
The facility is expected to address a longstanding challenge faced by fishermen in the region, particularly during peak fishing periods when limited purchasing and storage capacity can result in delays in selling catches.
Additional cold storage capacity would allow more fish to be preserved immediately after purchase, helping maintain quality while providing processors with a more consistent supply of raw material.
It is also expected to reduce potential wastage when catches exceed available purchasing or processing capacity, while providing fishermen with greater opportunities to sell their catch locally.
Development of the Thinadhoo fisheries complex has been underway for several years. MTCC was previously contracted to carry out foundation and other civil works associated with the project, while Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) is expanding its fish purchasing and storage operations on the island.
Earlier this year, MIFCO also entered into an agreement with China Machinery Engineering Corporation to support the expansion and completion of the Thinadhoo fish purchasing and cold storage project.
The government said earlier this month that around 75 percent of the 1,000-tonne Thinadhoo cold storage facility had been completed, with plans to bring it into operation before the end of 2026.
Thinadhoo is one of several locations where additional cold storage capacity is being developed as part of efforts to address infrastructure constraints in the fisheries industry.
Other projects are being pursued in Felivaru, Kooddoo, Mulah and Ihavandhoo, with the government seeking to significantly increase the country’s overall capacity to store fish during peak fishing seasons.
Cold storage is considered particularly important for the Maldivian tuna industry because catches can fluctuate considerably between seasons. Greater storage capacity allows fish purchased during periods of high catch volumes to be preserved for processing and export at a later stage.
For Thinadhoo and surrounding fishing communities in Huvadhu Atoll, the new facility is expected to provide greater access to fish purchasing and preservation services while strengthening fisheries activity in the southern region.