Maldives State Shipping’s (MSS) parent company, State Trading Organization’s (STO’s) Managing Director (MD) Hussain Amru has stated that they have been able to maintain container shipping rates despite the ongoing pandemic.

While speaking about STO’s subsidiary companies on RaajjeTV’s ‘Viyafari Miadhu’ programme, Amru stated that when MSS first started their work, many countries were going into lockdown due to Covid-19, causing air freight prices to blow over the roof. Amru further stated that MMS had not brought any price alterations to cargo shipping, even during the Covid-19 situation and that any modifications in pricing would be due to changes in prices all around the world.

Amru revealed that local business men and women are profiting from the fact that MSS continue to provide their services without altering their rates and highlighted that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who do wholesale and retail businesses would also be at an advantage due to MSS. 

Furthermore, Amru affirmed that MSS was working on expanding and providing their services to foreign countries, in order to bring in more money to the Maldives.

MSS’s MD, Captain Abdulla Saeed had previously stated that when MSS began to extend their services, the company’s vessel shipped a total of 50 containers of goods for independent businessmen and businesswomen. However, currently they ship a minimum of 300 containers.

Moreover, while maintaining the company’s schedule, MSS collaborated with international shipping lines and began the work of increasing the volume of their cargos. In addition, MSS has confirmed that they have made a deal with the world’s biggest shipping line, Maersk Container Shipping.

MMS container vessels now travel to the Maldives every 10 days.