SANTO DOMINGO.- Starting in July, a daily ferry route will begin connecting Puerto Rico with San Pedro de Macorís, a new mode of transport that will open new horizons for the "Sultana of the East," President Luis Abinader said yesterday.
During his "Accountability" speech before the National Assembly, the president explained that this project, which he said would impact tourism and the economy of the region, was initiated in 2023.
It will be operated by Balearia, a Spanish company with over 25 years of experience in maritime transport of passengers, vehicles, and cargo. The service between Mayagüez and San Pedro de Macorís will run daily, with a capacity for 300 containers, 400 vehicles, and 1,000 passengers. Furthermore, it will operate with an eco-efficient vessel, which could become the first natural gas-powered ferry in the Caribbean.
The Spanish shipping company has been operating in the Caribbean since 2011, currently connecting the US port of Fort Lauderdale with the Bahamian islands of Grand Bahama and Bimini. With this new service, Balearia will add its third route in the Caribbean.
Similarly, Abinader reported that during the past year, 8 tourist and fishing docks were inaugurated in the towns of Bahía de Luperón, Puerto Plata, Samaná, Boca de Yuma, Las Cañitas in Hato Mayor, Cabeza de Toro and Sánchez, in the province of Samaná, and Palenque in San Cristóbal.
“When we came into government, we found three cruise ship piers already operating. In three and a half years, we have added Taino Bay in Puerto Plata and the one in Pedernales. This year we will finish the tourist pier in Barahona, and the private sector will complete the one in Santa Bárbara de Samaná,” he emphasized.
He said that in the coming days the first groundbreaking ceremony will take place in a public-private partnership to build the Arroyo Barril project, a tourist cruise ship pier and theme park.
“Here we have those who are already benefiting from the new tourism development of Pedernales, with the inauguration of the Port of Cabo Rojo, the construction of hotels and other projects, testifying that Pedernales has changed,” said the president amid applause to highlight the start of operations of the Port of Cabo Rojo, which in January of this year received its first cruise ship.
