APORDOM and DGAPP announce process for conversion of Port Duarte in Arroyo Barril, into a cruise terminal.
The Dominican Port Authority (APORDOM) and the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP) announced the beginning of the process for the conversion of the Duarte Port, in Arroyo Barril, in the province of Samaná, into a cruise terminal and tourist facility zone under the public-private partnership modality, by virtue of Law 47-20 and its implementing regulations.
The executive director of the DGAPP, Sigmund Freund, emphasized that this project is part of the decision of the Government of President Luis Abinader to position the country as a cruise hub in the Caribbean. He added that this new terminal will boost tourism and commerce in the province and will create close to 1,050 new jobs, both direct and indirect.
Likewise, Jean Luis Rodríguez, executive director of APORDOM, indicated that currently the Port Duarte, inaugurated in 1977, has 19 permanent employees and its operations are based on the reception of loose general cargo, for which reason the cruise terminal will represent a great employment opportunity for the area, which will result in social and economic development for the entire Northeast region and the Central Cibao.
Freund explained that, in addition to the new cruise terminal in Arroyo Barril, Samaná, the project contemplates a complementary tourist facility area where cruise passengers will have the opportunity to find recreational and amusement options. In addition, he pointed out that it is estimated that the project will generate income for the country for USD 31.2 million in the first year, due to the total expenditure of the cruise passengers and crew members.
Jean Luis Rodríguez pointed out that this process is the first time in the history of the Dominican Republic that the allocation of a port is carried out through a public-private partnership, as they are usually established through concessions, as provided for in Law 70-70, which creates the Dominican Port Authority.
The initiative, which will have an estimated investment of USD 60 million, proposes the rehabilitation and construction of an infrastructure that will allow the arrival of vessels with up to 8,500 passengers, oasis type, in addition to developing a maritime terminal with the capacity to receive four cruise ships at the same time.
This port is expected to receive 161 cruise ships per year from Miami, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Curacao, Barbados, Montego Bay, St. Lucia, Tampa Bay and New York. The cruise terminal to be developed in Arroyo Barril would join the existing Amber Cove and Taino Bay in Puerto Plata, and Port Cabo Rojo in Pedernales, a project that is currently under construction, becoming the only four tourist terminals in our country that have the infrastructure to receive oasis type vessels.
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