The executive director of the Dominican Port Authority (APORDOM), Jean Luis Rodríguez, announced that the transformation of the Port of Manzanillo, in Montecristi, will be completed between the first and second quarter of 2027.
Rodríguez explained that the project, with an investment exceeding $100 million and financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), includes both the modernization of the port terminal and the road infrastructure connecting Navarrete with Manzanillo. The road component has already been fully completed, which expedites cargo transport from Santiago to the port.
“For decades, the transformation of the port of Manzanillo was promised, but it never materialized. Today, that promise is a reality underway, which will bring development, employment, and new opportunities in both trade and cruise tourism to Montecristi and the entire country,” Rodríguez stated.
The head of APORDOM indicated that, like Taíno Bay in Puerto Plata, Manzanillo is projected to be a hybrid port, capable of handling cargo and cruise ships simultaneously. In Puerto Plata, this model has proven successful, generating monthly revenues of 25 million pesos, 50% of which comes from cargo and the other 50% from cruise ships.
Rodríguez also stated that the port of Manzanillo, due to its proximity to Florida, the main departure point for cruise ships in the Caribbean, has great potential to integrate into high-traffic tourist routes, adding to successful experiences such as those of Puerto Plata, Samaná and Cabo Rojo.
While participating in the Matinal 5 program, Rodríguez reported that Santo Domingo is working on an ambitious expansion plan to receive Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships, with a capacity for more than 8,000 passengers, overcoming one of the main historical limitations of that port: the depth of the Ozama River.
Regarding Barahona, he explained that three of its six docks have been rehabilitated, which will allow it to receive medium-sized cruise ships of up to 3,500 passengers and reinforce the tourist dynamism of the south.
“We are experiencing a historic process: never before have so many Dominican ports been modernized simultaneously. Montecristi, Puerto Plata, Samaná, Barahona, and Santo Domingo will be engines of development and will put the Dominican Republic on the world map of cruises and maritime trade,” the official stated.
Jean Luis Rodríguez emphasized the historic progress achieved in the modernization process of the country's ports, noting that these transformations have allowed for optimizing the efficiency of maritime operations, increasing commercial competitiveness, and strengthening security in the logistics chain.
