As is to be expected of an area planned for growth, over the past two years, the Mariel Special Development Zone Office has begun to identify and invite international companies with experience and ability to participate in construction of infrastructure in some areas of its Sector A.
The corporation Viglacera, from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with extensive experience in the development and management of industrial parks, responded immediately to the invitation. After intensive talks and productive negotiations, February 28, 2018, the company was authorized to become the Zone’s first concessionaire via Decree 340.
ViMariel S.A. was officially inaugurated this past November 28, within the context of the 36th session of the Cuba-Vietnam inter-governmental group for economic and scientific-technical collaboration.
“The objective of this affiliate is to project, invest, construct, administer, and utilize the infrastructure of an industrial park in Zone 10 of the Special Development Zone’s Sector A,” explained Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, Cuban minister of Foreign Trade and Investment.
It will attract not only Vietnamese companies interested in establishing operations in the area, but also potential investors from other nations, he added.
VIMARIEL S.A. – THE ZONE’S FIRST CONCESSIONAIRE
Creating a concessionaire in Mariel is not only an important step for the Zone as a project, but also for Cuba’s objectives regarding foreign investment in general.
Located on an area of 156 hectares, ViMariel S.A. is a subsidiary of the Vietnamese corporation Viglacera. The firm will undertake a program of investments to extend the work of the Office and Cuban entities charged with developing infrastructure in Mariel, and the attraction of direct foreign investment in production and services.
“The presence of ViMariel will add high standards in construction, technology, and management, essential to Cuba’s economic and social development. This industry will be focused on construction materials, heavy industry, packaging and wrapping, the production of articles for personal and domestic use, the bio-pharmaceutical industry, and logistics activity,” commented Ana Teresa Igarza, general director of the Special Development Zone, in previous statements to Granma International.
ViMariel is just beginning construction of its facilities, and has already signed a contract with EnPromoulds, a company that manufactures plastic molds and a future investor in the industrial park.
The new concession, awarded for a 50-year term, involves a scheduled series of projects funded with Vietnamese capital that will begin in 2019 and continue over the next five years, to build roads and communications networks, as well as water and electrical distribution systems.
Pham Hong Ha, Vietnamese minister of Construction, emphasized during the inauguration that the first portion of the project should be ready by the final months of 2019.
CUBA & VIETNAM
Vietnam is today among the countries with the greatest presence in the Mariel Special Development Zone.
“The creation of this first concessionaire will open a new stage in the development of the Special Zone and is a milestone for the opportunities it offers Vietnamese and other investors. In addition, it is an example of the intention of both governments to work to strengthen bilateral relations in the economic sphere,” Igarza stated.
Minister Malmierca said that the company will provide a successful example of construction projects undertaken with Vietnamese capital and a clear demonstration of the special nature of bilateral relations shared by the two countries.
He thanked the government and important Vietnamese companies for their interest in investing in Cuba, not only in Mariel, but in other parts of the country, as well. He added that these firms will have a significant impact on the country’s economic development and allow Cuban professionals to acquire experience from the Vietnamese in a priority sector like construction.
The establishment of ViMariel S.A. further strengthens relations between the two countries, united for years by ties of cooperation, solidarity, and brotherhood. The friendship between the two peoples, parties, and governments was initiated by
Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro and Comrade Ho Chi Minh, and is today reflected in economic, commercial, and scientific cooperation that the two countries intend to expand.
(Granma)