The Ministry of Fisheries has given a deadline for parties currently operating ice plants to obtain an "Ice Plant Operation License."
In an announcement published by the Fisheries Ministry, it stated that under the currently enforced "Regulation on Licensing Fisheries-Related Activities," parties currently operating ice plants are required to obtain a license. Therefore, the Ministry has requested parties currently operating ice plants to apply for the ice plant operation license in writing or via email before 15 October 2024.
The announcement stated that projects established to provide ice to fishermen are activities that must be commenced after obtaining permission under the Regulation on Granting Permission to Establish Fisheries Projects, prior to starting the establishment of the ice plant. Thus, the Ministry has requested that such projects be carried out after obtaining the required permission from the Ministry in accordance with the regulation before commencement.
Furthermore, parties that obtain permission from the Ministry to establish an ice plant are also instructed to obtain an "Ice Plant Operation License" under the Regulation on Licensing Fisheries-Related Activities before they begin providing ice services.
The Ministry has requested parties wishing to clarify further information regarding this matter to call the Fisheries Ministry's phone numbers: 3339214 or 3339215.
The Ministry stated that the "Regulation on Granting Permission to Establish Fisheries Projects" and the Regulation on Licensing Fisheries-Related Activities, formulated under the Maldives Fisheries Act, have been gazetted and are currently being enforced. The purpose of these two regulations, according to the Ministry, is to ensure that fisheries projects conducted in the Maldives are designed and operated in a way that beneficially impacts the Maldivian fisheries industry, and to establish the procedures to be followed in obtaining permission to establish fisheries projects and obtaining licenses to operate the facilities established under those projects, implementing them through robust principles.
