State Trading Organisation (STO) has signed the agreement for the purchase of MSS Graphene. This is the third vessel to be purchased by Maldives State Shipping (MSS).
Managing Director of STO Hussain Amr and the Managing Director of German-based company Kandlar, Jonas Keller, signed the agreement at a special ceremony held at the STO head office. Managing Director Amr said MSS Graphene is the latest addition to the MSS fleet and that it will facilitate direct cargo service between the Maldives, Singapore, and Malaysia. He said that the purchase of the new ship is a huge step towards expanding the services of MSS to the international sphere.
Furthermore, Amr noted the accomplishments MSS has been able to achieve within a short period of time and said that this was the first ever negotiations held to purchase a container ship for the Maldives. He added that work is now being done to obtain containers stamped with the MSS logo.
Additionally, Managing Director of MSS Abdulla Saeed said that MSS Graphene is similar in size to MSS Galena, with an on-board cargo capacity of 680TEU, and that the new ship will begin operations in August. He highlighted that the crew of all the ships in the MSS fleet are mostly made up of Maldivians and that the company is providing more training and employment opportunities for Maldivians interested in the shipping industry.
MSS is a shipping and logistics company owned by STO, offering an extensive international liner shipping service. MSS began its services in 2020 to reduce the price of goods imported into the country.