WILLEMSTAD - Recently, family, friends of the De Jongh family, and the Government of Curaçao gathered in a festive atmosphere to receive the first cargo shipment from Trinidad & Tobago aboard the Doña Luisa I, one of the vessels in the De Jongh family’s Don Andres fleet. The ship arrived at Mattheywerf, with invited guests present, and was greeted by Don Andres I and Brother Mirlo. The Curaçao Port Authority welcomed the ship with a water salute and the vessel entered the harbor at the shipyard.
This new route is extremely important for commerce in our region, particularly for Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire. Considering the current challenges in the global supply chain, which has significant implications for international trade due to longer and more costly routes, one of the strategies is to stimulate more intra-regional trade within our region. “With this new route, we are taking a step towards increasing trade within our Caribbean region,” stated Minister of Economic Affairs Charles Cooper.
Don Andres is responsible for supplying us and our neighboring islands with various products and facilitates trade between the ABC islands while directly connecting us to the Dominican Republic and now Trinidad. The impact is substantial for our businesses, both those that import and those that export. In a very short time, their merchandise will reach its destination directly. “We do face some logistical challenges here in Curaçao, which can be optimized to make prices much more competitive,” the minister added. “This route opens opportunities for trade and services, which is extremely important for the economy. It will influence product prices and provide us with more direct access to the market, stimulating more business, increasing job opportunities, and strengthening our role as a player in the region.”
We are well connected with Trinidad & Tobago.
We have a direct air connection with Trinidad & Tobago through Caribbean Airlines, which is an airline from Trinidad. Now, we are also connected via maritime transport through our local shipping company, Don Andres. This is a clear example of bilateral trade.
Curaçao, as an associate member of CARICOM, is in a favorable position to reach more concrete trade agreements. Curaçao and Trinidad & Tobago are negotiating a trade agreement to eliminate barriers for our products and services entering the Trinidad market free of obstacles, and vice versa. We see potential for our services, as well as our products, both those manufactured locally and those we import exclusively. Our Free Zone also has great opportunities to supply Trinidad with all necessary items, including clothing, electrical and electronic appliances, tobacco, and alcohol, as well as fresh products and delicatessen items. From Trinidad, we can import fruits and vegetables, consumer goods, chicken, butter, cosmetics, milk, to name a few.
A lot of trade is already taking place between Curaçao and Trinidad, and with this new route, we will expand even further. After Trinidad, more routes will follow. Minister Cooper has called for Curaçao to become the trade hub of the Caribbean and extended congratulations to the De Jongh family and to the businesses that have believed in and supported this project both in Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, and Trinidad & Tobago.
“Continue to invest! The government is here to facilitate your success. Let’s aim for more trade!” Minister Cooper concluded.
