President Luis Abinader participated in a presentation of Manzanillo Port. Engineers of the Civil Engineer Corps of the United States Navy made recommendations during the presentation that took place at the Hotel El Embajador on 31 August 2021. President Abinader stressed the importance of the rehabilitation and expansion of the northwestern port for Dominican competitiveness in the region during the presentation.
President Abinader has identified Manzanillo as one of the most important works of his administration. He highlighted the port as part of efforts to modernize the country in today’s interconnected and global world.
The port is the country’s best connection to the United States. The Dominican Republic is a major importer of fuel from the United States and the US is the main market for Dominican free zone and farm exports. An Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) loan of US$100 million is lined up for the port’s development.
The Port of Manzanillo had been on the list of projects the People’s Republic of China early on signed to carry out in the country when full diplomatic relations were agreed to in May 2018. The US government lobbied from the start against the Chinese initiative. This is no longer happening.
Also participating in the meeting with the US Navy port experts at the Hotel El Embajador were Robert W. Thomas, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in the country. Speaking for the US government, Thomas praised the importance of the work and the confidence of the Dominican authorities in his country’s engineers.
Others attending the meeting were the ministers of Public Works, Deligne Ascención; of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte; of the Presidency, Lisandro Macarrulla and of the Environment, Orlando Jorge Mera. Also the directors of the Port Authority, Jean Luis Rodríguez and of Public-Private Alliances, Sigmund Freund.
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Presidency
Caribbean Council
Hoy
1 September 2021