Castro supervises expansion work of main port in Cuba

Castro supervises expansion work of main port in Cuba
English.news.cn 2011-09-19 11:48:07

HAVANA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cuban leader Raul Castro Sunday supervised
the ongoing expansion program of the Mariel port, a main port of Cuba
with Brazil's investment, local media reported.

"The expansion work has an extraordinary economic importance," said
Castro after inspecting the port, some 50 km west of Havana.

Castro said the investment on Mariel, besides upgrading the operation
levels of the port, will provide Cuba with an important facility for a
long time in the special development zone which covers more than 400
square km.

The Brazilian investment, about 500 million U.S. dollars, is from an
international association formed by companies from Brazil and Cuba, to
guarantee a project which includes the building of a 700-meter-long dock
for deepwater ships with some 15 meters draft, as well as a large system
of highways and modern railways that lead to the port.

The expansion work of Mariel port started in February 2010 as the
current port of Havana is not deep enough to allow the entry of large
vessels, and will be finished in 2014.

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