Life still moves slowly in this small, dusty town, where kids play freely in narrow streets nearly devoid of traffic and many people carry parasols to ward off the pounding tropical sun.
But that’s all about to change. The town best known as the launch point of a mass maritime exodus to the US in 1980 is being transformed into a huge, modern, US$900 million port and special commercial zone.
The island nation’s Communist authorities expect Mariel to become a centre for foreign investment. It could also position Cuba to take advantage of a trade boom if the US ever lifts its 51-year embargo and starts sending container ships south — something investors have been waiting for, in vain, for years. Others suspect the port’s impact on Cuba may be more modest, reflecting the country’s long-stagnant economy.
Plans to overhaul the Port of Mariel began in 2009 when officials determined the country’s main harbour in Havana is too shallow for bigger, deeper-draft “post-Panamax” vessels, which starting in 2015 will begin crossing through an expanded Panama Canal and carry an increasing share of regional cargo. An automobile tunnel that traverses the mouth of Havana’s bay makes it impossible to make the waterway deeper.
Even with the US embargo, the ability of Mariel to take in deeper-draft ships will let Cuba keep pace with global shipping innovations and accommodate more cargo. Hopes are equally high for the adjacent, 180-square-mile (465-square-kilometre) industrial park and special development zone, which officially launched November 1.
Source-AP
