R VE Y O C OR ST
Curaçao Port Authority:
Building towards the Future “Curaçao has so many opportunities. Import and export mainly occur via the maritime industry – it’s really a growing sector. Everything revolves around our waters.” TEXT NEELAM MELWANI
Curaçao is blessed with incredible natural, deep harbors, and a port that is positioned in such a way that it offers security to vessels docked in its harbors. The trade and dry-dock industries have for many years comprised two of the five pillars of Curaçao’s multi-sectorial economy, the others being oil refining, tourism, and financial services, which too are all linked to the ports; some more directly than others. In the coming 15 years, the Curaçao Port Authority, a limited liability company whose main shareholder is the Government of Curaçao, has big plans to develop the ports of Curaçao, and the territories along the ports,
14
CURAÇAO BUSINESS
changing not only the business mix in Curaçao, but determining the island’s future through reorganizing the way Curaçao’s economy develops. This edition’s cover story is based on an interview with the Chief Commercial Officer of Curaçao Ports Authority, Mr. Raul Manotas, whose job does not just entail attracting investment, but transforming how Curaçao’s ports operate while promoting sustainable economic development in Curaçao.
A Brief History of Curaçao’s Ports Curaçao has always been a center for trade and ship repair. In 1634, following the Dutch takeover of Curaçao, the Dutch West India Company, opened its operations in Curaçao, making the island a center of trade, with a harbor open to commerce and private traders. Within a decade, the port in Willemstad developed into a small town, focused primarily on offering maritime services. The town was of course called Willemstad. Willemstad eventually became the
| NUMBER 1 | 2016
center of the Dutch slave trade, and was known among the Spanish as a stopover in the illicit trade market. In 1827, Willemstad was declared a free port, eliminating taxes and excise, to attract more trade to its natural harbor. The first cruise ship made its way to Curaçao is 1901. The potential of the harbor in Curaçao however was finally discovered when the oil was discovered in the Lake of Maracaibo in 1914, and the first floating dry dock, Koningin Wilhemina, was built in 1926. The port also became a center for ship repair and oil refining. In 1960, a company was created to manage the activities in the port of Willemstad. This company was the predecessor of Curaçao Ports Authority (CPA), the LLC founded in 1981, primarily responsible for all Curaçao’s ports and the coastal territories along these ports. For the first 18 years of its operation, CPA focused on security and efficiency – making sure that Curaçao’s port(s) were safe for ships of all sizes – ensuring quality, efficiency, safety
