Boskalis has won a contract from the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure of the Republic of the Maldives related to the further development of Gulhifalhu – including climate adaptive measures for the island.

The contract carries a value of approximately EUR 120 million.

This project concerns the second phase of the expansion of the island of Gulhifalhu for which Boskalis also executed the first phase in recent years.

Boskalis photo

The development of Gulhifalhu, which is located approximately four kilometers from the capital Malé, is part of the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s strategic plan to improve and develop the port infrastructure, and will serve as a climate adaptive solution, making this part of the Maldives resilient to rising sea levels.

For the second phase of the island’s expansion, Boskalis will deploy a large trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) to reclaim new land using approximately eighteen million cubic meters of sand. Boskalis’ activities also include rock revetment work for shoreline protection.

To manage the environmental impacts of the dredging and land reclamation activities, a comprehensive environmental impact assessment was conducted in accordance with the highest international standards.

Also, Boskalis is implementing various measures to mitigate possible adverse effects, including coral relocation and measures to limit the spreading of sediments in the water in combination with regular monitoring of the water quality.

Over the past two decades, Boskalis has successfully executed several climate-adaptive dredging and land reclamation projects in the Maldives, including reconstruction work on the islands of Vilufushi and Villingili following the devastating tsunami in late 2004 and the initial development of Gulhifalhu in 2010 and 2012.

In addition, Boskalis was responsible for the successful execution of the first phase of the expansion of Gulhifalhu in 2019 and 2020.