With the presence of President Luis Abinader, the construction of the cruise port and tourist terminal “Samaná Bayport” began, with an investment of US$22 million, by the Temarsan Consortium, of Dominican capital.
The terminal is expected to begin operations in 18 months, and is expected to receive more than 500,000 passengers annually. Currently, about 50 thousand passengers arrive.
In this regard, Federico Schad informed that 150 direct jobs and 500 indirect jobs will be generated during construction. The operation will create 100 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs throughout the province, due to the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout its territory and in the surroundings of the Bay of Samaná.
He indicated that the average spending per passenger in the Caribbean ports is US$98, and Samaná Bayport will have the capacity to receive 10,000 passengers daily, so the daily economic impact operating will be approximately one million dollars.
“This income will go directly to you, the guides, the owners of maritime transportation, cab drivers, motorcycle cart drivers, tour operators, restaurants, artisans, gift shops and other businesses. In this way this project will improve the quality of life of many people”, he assured.
He stated that he sees “as a triumph of all Samaná”, the Samaná Bayport, a cruise port and maritime terminal that will transform the experience of visitors, because its strategic position in the bay will offer the necessary port and tourist facilities to satisfy the operational needs, which do not exist now.
He explained that the port will be able to handle 3 cruise ships simultaneously; one with a capacity of up to 5,000 passengers docked at the pier with state-of-the-art technology baptized “Seawalk”, and 2 cruise ships at the bay’s anchorage.
“The Norwegian Seawalk technology is a floating dock with the capacity to operate with cruise ships of up to 5,000 passengers, which can be retracted, or stored, when not in use, minimizing its environmental and visual impact, compared to traditional breakwaters. This innovative technology is already used in several European ports, and will be used for the first time in the Dominican Republic,” he added.
He also said that “the terminal will have several piers, a tourist information center, facilities and services for these operations, a recreation area, green areas, a transportation center (for dispatching excursions, cabs, ground transportation and parking), government offices and a first aid center”.
Schad expressed that the province of Samaná has unique natural wealth, its bay is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, and it is located in a strategic place for cruise ship routes, because more than one million cruise ship passengers pass through its coast every year.
With these resources, he said, and with the cruise port, the province begins a journey to become one of the main cruise destinations in the Caribbean; and noted that the province has received significant investments in road infrastructure, airport, hotels, marina, real estate projects, but now it will have a cruise port and tourist terminal that will significantly increase the capacity and quantity of ships it receives and improve the quality of services offered to visitors.
The businessman explained that in the last 17 years Samaná received 700 ships and 1.5 million passengers, without adequate port facilities to maintain a high level of visitor satisfaction, and limited the type of cruise ships we can receive in the bay. Now, in addition to Samana’s attractions, it will have the appropriate facilities to receive more cruise passengers.
Federico Schad thanked the presence and support offered to the project by President Luis Abinader; Jean Luis Rodríguez, executive director of Apordom; Alejandro Campos, president of the Board of Apordom; Nelson Núñez, mayor of Santa Bárbara; the board of directors of the Samaná Tourism Cluster and the community.
Also to the cruise line executives present; Roy Milan Schultheis of Norwegian; Wendy McDonald, Melissa Morales and Jaime Castillo of Royal Caribbean.