The island is pitching itself as a regional hub for both freight and cruise liner traffic.

A 25-year master plan focuses on increasing the port’s capacity to one million containers per year and deepening its main navigational channel to allow larger vessels to enter.

The Indian Ocean island, which lies more than 5,000 km (3,107 miles) from its principal European and Asian markets, is heavily dependent on imports.

“For the first time, port traffic has crossed the level of 6 million tonnes to reach 6.4 million tonnes, an increase of 9 percent over the previous financial year,” MPA Director General Shekur Suntah said in the report.

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