(Oranjestad)—Last Sunday, bringing lemons, avocados and bananas, two cargo ships left the port of La Vela de Coro in Venezuela on their way to Curacao as part of the reactivation of commercial exchange between the ABC islands. However, Aruba has yet to receive its first few ships.
After four years of non-activity, due to the closure of the border between Aruba and Venezuela, the historic relationship of commercial exchange was reactivated, with the first few cargo ships heading straight to Curacao.
Yesterday afternoon, the prime minister of Curacao organized a welcome ceremony for the ships coming from the Latin American country in mark of the reopening of the maritime and aerial border with Venezuela: “Prime Minister Pisas is very grateful for all the members of cabinet Pisas II, the government instances and principally, to all respective functionaries of the government that formed part of the work team in this reopening. Thank you to the Marshe Nobo Foundation and DMO for the beautiful ceremony they organized for this memorable moment,” he stated on his social media platform.
In regards to Aruba, Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes assured us that “no ships have checked in yet. Between the agency here in Aruba and the cargo ships over in Venezuela, they have to work together to reach the necessary requirements. The government of Aruba does not play a role in this process.”
She also assured that there is still no set date where the first few ships will dock in Aruba. On May 4th, the prime minister informed that there are strict conditions that have to be met in order to ensure good control, among other things. The cargo ships coming from Venezuela come under the responsibility and request of an agency here in Aruba. That means that no ship is permitted to arrive on the island to sell product here without proper instructions from a local agency. Crew members do not have visas to enter the country and so they are granted a maximum of 48 hours on the island—inside port property.
Up until now, since the reopening of the maritime border, there are no cargo ships that have arrived. There are paperwork in Venezuela and Aruba that need to be completed, so it will take some time.
“Maybe in these upcoming days we can start importing fruits and vegetables, edible products, construction material etc. at a cheaper price. This may help the burden of the current high living cost on Aruba,” the prime minister declared.
