Cuba Expects its Maritime Cargo Fleet to Recover in Three Years

HAVANA TIMES — The Cuban government expects that in three years its fleet of oceanic freight carriers will recover to levels similar to those of the 1980s, reported the Cuban Information Agency.

Deputy Transport Minister Lazaro Gonzalez, speaking at an international maritime symposium held in Havana, said the gradual recovery of the Cuban shipping fleet “is a reality.”

To add to the island’s fleet, ten 45,000-ton vessels are currently being constructed in China; and in the coming years, seven tankers and five freighters will be manufactured for use in operations in the Caribbean.

The overall strategy of the Ministry of Transportation is to develop the use of its rail and maritime fleet to replace shipments of goods by truck.