The 39th General Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) in Paramaribo, Suriname has well become a platform to attract more business opportunities and improve the rating of the Surinamese ports. Guno Castelen, Commercial Manager at the Surinamese Port Authority, claimed that the CSA conference would contribute to the further transformation of Suriname’s main port facility, the Nieuwe Haven.
Castelen said that the meeting was aiming at seeking resolutions for current problems in the industry and planning for the future. He opined this at the conference which was attended by dignitaries including the President of Suriname, Ronald Venetiaan and Fernando Rivera, president of the CSA.
While addressing the meet, the Suriname president said that the recently signed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM), which includes the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM), would impact both the trade and the maritime industries in the region. Therefore, he felt that, as maritime being the key industry of the region, without any doubt the industry could be regarded as a catalyst for economic development and growth.
Venetiaan acknowledged the Caribbean region currently was going through challenging and difficult times, yet he said that he was optimistic about the future. He told the delegates that the challenge was to battle today’s problems in an effective way in order to lay the foundation for tomorrow, and opportunities for tomorrow grew from the challenges of today.
Furthermore, Venetiaan apprised that in the past eight years, the volume of cargo handled at the main port facilities in Suriname had more than tripled. He also commended the public-private partnership that had yielded desirable results in the effort to modernize the country’s main port facilities.
On the other hand, Rivera informed that the organization was providing training for its members, and assisted in enhancing safety and security in the regional maritime industry. He declared that Suriname could be easily included in cruise schedules in the Caribbean, and for that reason, the CSA in the near future would help Paramaribo in developing its cruise industry.
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