Port Master Plan 2024: Major developments underway to enhance Port Louis Harbour

Government is actively pursuing the implementation of the Port Master Plan 2024 for the Port Louis Harbour, with several priority projects already initiated, said the Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, today in the National Assembly.

He was replying to parliamentary questions pertaining to the implementation of the New Master Plan and the development of the harbour.

Prime Minister Ramgoolam stated that the Master Plan, approved by the Board of the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) on 18 March 2025, outlines development needs up to 2050. The Plan, he noted, includes seven major infrastructure projects with an estimated total investment of Rs 56.3 billion, aimed at boosting container handling capacity, efficiency, and overall port performance.

He indicated that the MPA has already initiated three priority projects namely the expansion of the existing container terminal, including additional stacking yards and a new gate system with works expected to begin by end 2027; extension of the cruise jetty to accommodate larger vessels, with construction projected to start in October 2027; and the infrastructure development at Fort William over 55 hectares, with works scheduled to begin in April 2027.

Moreover, Dr Ramgoolam informed that the reconstruction of quays B and C, presently occupied by the National Coast Guard, is also being considered. Two jetty projects at Fort George and Fort William, he stated, will be financed and operated by private promoters, particularly for petroleum storage facilities. A land of three hectares at Fort George has already been earmarked land by the MPA.

He also underlined that Mauritius and India have agreed on a strategic partnership for the redevelopment and restructuring of the port sector in Mauritius, following his State Visit to India in September 2025. To this end, an Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Strategy for Port Development was chaired under the chairmanship of the then Deputy Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister took note of the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, which provide for the opening of the capital of the Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd to Maersk Ltd and Mediterranean Shipping Company Ltd, as minority shareholders of up to a threshold of 40%, subject to compliance with the Public Procurement Act and the Competition Act; and the implementation of the Island Container Terminal project.

The project, he emphasised, comprises the construction of a breakwater to create a tranquil basin in front of the present Mauritius Container Terminal, a navigation channel dredged to 18 metres deep, a new container terminal of an area of 50 hectares and a quay of 1.2 km in length. The cost of the project, as per the Port Master Plan 2024, is estimated at approximately Rs 47.3 billion, he said, adding that the construction period is projected to be six to eight years.

In addition to standard container operations, the project is planned as a multi-functional and future-oriented port development, affirmed the Prime Minister.

31 March 2026

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