The Vice President of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in The Netherlands, Bob Juchter van Bergen Quast, has visited the Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao, Mr. Anthony Begina. The Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao (Dutch: Gevolmachtigd Minister van Curaçao) represents the constituent country (Dutch: land) of Curaçao in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The current . The Minister Plenipotentiary and his cabinet are seated in the “Curaçaohuis” (Curaçao House) in The Hague (which was the location of the Antillenhuis before the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles). The meeting had both a cultural and business character.
Because of its historically good connections with Europe, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean islands, the ports of Curaçao have more than 1,300 sailings per year, more than 20 regularly calling shipping lines, and an efficient and reliable shipping agent network. Curaçao’s harbors are among the region’s most developed and best-organized ports. The ports of Curaçao are all natural, sheltered ports that offer safe, fast, efficient and reliable handling of both ships and cargo. The ports of Curaçao are well equipped for all business activities. Curaçao is practically located outside the hurricane belt and has the perfect gateway to the Caribbean. The Port of Willemstad’s strategic geographical location with respect to the United States, South America and Europe is one of the major factors that have contributed in making Curaçao such an important regional transshipment hub for container shipping.
Curaçao has always played an important role in international commerce due to its strategic location, stable political conditions and its deep and wide naturally sheltered main harbor. Throughout the centuries the main seaport of Curaçao, the Port of Willemstad, which comprises i.a. the St. Anna Bay and the Schottegat Bay, evolved from a few simple quays to a multi-faceted maritime service center, housing several transnational companies. These include one of the largest crude oil refinery and oil transshipment centers in the region, operated by Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PVDSA), state-of-the-art Curaçao Container Terminal offering an extensive array of cargo facilities, a dynamic Free Trade Zone, region’s largest dry dock, and modern cruise ship terminals.
From 20 to 22 January 2019, Prime Minister Rutte will be present at a trade mission, organised by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.