Cargo Business Newswire

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Crowley ship from Port Everglades first to call at new Cuban mega-port

When Cuba opened its $1 billion mega-port at Mariel on Monday, the first ship at the dock was a Crowley Liner Services vessel coming from Port Everglades.

Crowley arrived with about 50 shipping containers primarily full of frozen chicken, under a waiver to the 50-year-old U.S. embargo against the communist country. It ships weekly to the island, hinting at opportunities for business once U.S.-Cuba trade ties are fully restored.

Some analysts say the presence of the U.S. line at Mariel's opening signals that Cuba is not only open for business, but open for business with the United States.

"The long-term viability of Mariel depends on a change in U.S. policy," said Ted Henken, a professor at Baruch College in New York and president of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy. "Clearly, [Crowley's presence] is a sign they're willing to do business with the United States, even if we're not willing to do business with Cuba now."

The largest infrastructure project in Cuba in decades, the modern Mariel port was financed mainly by a Brazilian loan and built by Brazil-based construction giant Odebrecht. Mariel intends to replace Havana as the nation's busiest cargo port, and once dredging is complete, it will be able to host the world's largest ships that soon will cross an expanded Panama Canal.

For more of the Florida Sun Sentinel story: sun-sentinel.com