Navier, a maritime technology company known for developing hydrofoils, has partnered with Dubai-based JIH Global Investment to create the world’s first standardised inter-island transportation network of its kind in Maldives. The broader partnership represents an expected fleet value of approximately $100 million.
This collaboration will establish the Navier Network in the Maldives, a software-driven sustainable maritime corridor designed to connect airports, resorts, private villas, and local islands through a fleet of high-performance hydrofoil vessels.
There will be an initial rollout of five Navier N30 vessels in 2026, followed by an addition of 95 vessels over the next three years. JIH, as the lead investment and development partner, will oversee the broader strategic rollout, while HARIM, its affiliate Maldives-based development company, will lead on-the-ground execution, including charging and operating infrastructure, route planning, resort partnerships, and day-to-day network operations.
Sampriti Bhattacharyya, founder and CEO of Navier, highlighted Maldives as one of the most important maritime transportation markets in the world.
“Nearly every guest, every worker, every resort, and every island depends on boats or seaplanes. That makes the Maldives the perfect place to prove that maritime transportation can be cleaner, quieter, standardized, software-driven, and dramatically better for the guest experience,” he said. “We are not just deploying boats. We are building the first sustainable luxury transportation network on water.”
Luxury Tourism
Mohamed Ali Janah, Chairman of JIH Global Investment, acknowledged Maldives as the leader of luxury tourism. He believes that climate change is bringing challenges.
“We also have an opportunity to help define what the future of waterborne transportation looks like. With Navier, we see the potential to build not only a cleaner, more seamless network connecting airports, resorts, villas, and islands, but a scalable blueprint for sustainable maritime transportation, extending beyond the Maldives to island nations and coastal cities around the world.”
With most luxury resorts located on private islands, the Maldives remains one of the most boat-dependent tourism economies in the world, with almost 3,000 gas-powered vessels operating across the country and more than 2.2 million tourists visiting in 2025.
Modern and Innovative
The Navier Network will run N30 premium water taxi variants, designed for high-end passenger transport. Delivering up to 75 nautical miles of pure electric range and 150 nautical miles of hybrid, the vessels feature air-conditioned cabins, lounge seating, Starlink connectivity, and hydrofoil technology that lifts the vessel above the water for a quieter, smoother ride between destinations. Navier’s software platform underpins the system, enabling seamless booking, trip management, and fleet operations in a unified network experience.
It should be noted that this network is designed to replace this fragmented system with a unified, software-driven transportation layer connecting key points across the archipelago. Guests benefit from quieter, smoother journeys with reduced noise, no fuel fumes, and lower wake. Operators benefit from an economic model in which vessels are expected to operate at significantly lower operating costs
Standardized operations and software-driven fleet management further improve efficiency, demonstrating how sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.
