SANTO DOMINGO.- The Ministry of Public Works and Communications, through the Project Execution Unit, yesterday delivered checks worth more than 14 million dollars to the two winning firms, as an initial advance for the Manzanillo Port Rehabilitation and Expansion Project, located in the province of Montecristi.
The companies in charge of the project are Soletanche Bachy Colombia, represented by its general manager, Juan Fernando Uribe, who received a check for 20% of the advance payment for an amount of US$13,871,512, and Consorcio Peyco-SEG-Gimenez Cuenca, which was given 10% of the advance payment, equal to US$219,603, and which was represented by Leonel Gutiérrez.
This project is financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), as are the interconnection routes in the Northwest Line.
During a meeting held in the MOPC conference room, Minister Deligne Ascención highlighted that “this is a moment of great satisfaction for us and for the country, because it fulfills a commitment made by President Luis Abinader to strengthen one of the areas that demanded the most attention and investment.”.
He stated that the development experienced by the Manzanillo area and the entire Montecristi province will have repercussions throughout the Dominican Republic, "because of what the construction of the new port of Manzanillo represents and will represent for the future of our nation.".
Ascención highlighted the proximity of this dock to the southernmost coast of the United States, as well as to a group of islands in the Atlantic and the Caribbean, "which puts us in a privileged position and we are taking a significant step towards establishing the Dominican Republic as a logistics hub.".
He stated that from this moment on, the entire area, with the power generation facilities being developed there, will boost that part of the country and benefit the entire nation.
The port of Manzanillo, with technical characteristics of 220 by 40 meters, and a draft depth of 16 meters, is located in an area that is not included in the recurrence that affects the country every year, during the cyclone season.
This project represents a significant commitment to the economic and logistical development of the region, as well as to strengthening the country's competitiveness in the port sector.
It includes the modernization of port infrastructure, the expansion of operational capacities and the implementation of innovative technologies that will optimize efficiency and safety in port operations, as well as promote sustainable and environmentally friendly development.
The Minister of Public Works stated that the port is located in a secure area, very close to Santiago and various provinces in the Cibao region, highlighting the fact that Santiago alone accounts for 46% of the country's free trade zones. The new port is located approximately half the distance goods travel to the Caucedo Multimodal Port.
He highlighted that the port of Manzanillo is also complemented by other works that the government, through the MOPC, has developed and is carrying out in that area, such as the Navarrete bypass, the Guayubín-Copey highway, the Santiago Rodríguez-Martín García highway, the Montecristi-Dajabón-Loma de Cabrera highway, among others.
“In this way, we are connecting all the provinces, the areas of influence of the Manzanillo port, in addition to the Montecristi-Villa Elisa-Punta Rucia-Puerto Plata route,” he stated.
He considered that this interconnectivity, in some cases developing new routes or rebuilding others, "will enhance all of this.".
Meanwhile, the director of the Port Authority, Jean Luis Rodríguez, expressed that with the construction of the port of Manzanillo, which had been announced for decades, “the fact that we are achieving this historic milestone for the country today is undoubtedly very satisfying and will be of great benefit to the Port Authority, because we have enormous potential in that port.”.
The event was also attended by the deputy ministers of the MOPC: Roberto Herrera, Ángel Tejeda, Elías Santana, Tomasina Pascual, Mélito Santana, and Luis Bastardo.
Also present were the financial and administrative director, Alex Ramírez, as well as Cristian Borrero, director of the Project Execution Unit, and Lucía Cedeño, assistant; Joel Ramírez, legal advisor to the Ministry of the Presidency, and Jean Roque, Project Manager of the Project Execution Unit for Projects Financed with External Resources.
Karina Peñaranda, deputy director of projects, was also present representing the Soletanchi Bachy firm.
