The state plans to remove land from the jurisdiction of Kulhudhuffushi City Council and make it state property, for the Kulhudhuffushi Seaport expansion project, according to a government notice published in the Gazette on 5 November 2026. The notice, No. (IUL)13-D1/13/2026/219, appears under the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises.
The notice cites Article 56-2 (n) and (r) of the Decentralisation Act (Law 7/2010), under its 19th amendment.
What the project involves
The land detail attached to the notice describes the project in three parts:
extend the quay wall of the existing multipurpose port, which handles containers and general cargo, outward
deepen the harbour so that bigger vessels can call
run the port as a distribution centre for containers brought to the region by anchor service (feeder), with services that include a free zone, warehousing and bonded warehousing
The land named in the notice
The land detail lists the land as the Kulhudhuffushi Industrial Zone area. It says the area includes land leased to STO for its Northern Distribution Centre and land leased to Handy Holdings Private Limited for a cold storage facility.
Figures on the plan
A second attachment, labelled "KPL Land Use Plan 2026 - v2 (revised Nov 2026)", shows a port land area of 57,934 sqm and a harbour basin of 55,479 sqm. These are the figures shown on the plan. The land detail itself does not give the area of land being taken.
How to comment
Anyone who wants to comment on the plan or object to it may write to the ministry within 14 days from 5 November.
What the law requires
The law says that when land is in a council's jurisdiction, details and documents about it must be shared with the council, the council must be consulted and public views must be sought.
The state recently moved 14 plots from Malé City Council's jurisdiction under the same law. That council has gone to court to stop it.