PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC—The Trinidad and Tobago government says a new direct shipping route will operate next month to boost trade with the Dutch island of Curacao.
The Ministry of Trade said that on September 20, a direct shipping route between Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao operated by the Bonaire-based Don Andres N.V. will commence.
The shipping company, which has more than 30 years of experience, currently provides goods to supermarkets, stores, restaurants, dive shops, construction companies, and auto dealers throughout the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.
It said Don Andres will operate the route in collaboration with its local partner, Gulf Shipping, and that the new service is the result of a trade mission to the Dutch island in November last year headed by Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon.
“The timing of the service is ideal given that both Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao commenced the negotiation of a Partial Scope Trade Agreement (PSTA) in July 2024. Curacao has an approximate population of 150,000 with a nominal GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of US$3.08 billion (2022) and a GDP per capita of US$20,501,” the ministry said.
It said Trinidad and Tobago maintained favorable trade balances with Curacao over the five-period 2018-22, with cumulative exports amounting to approximately TT$140 million (One TT dollar = 0.16 cents).
“While the country’s population is small…given its tourism sector (over 1.3 million visitors annually), the completion of the PSTA will provide the opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to supply increased products to that market.”
The ministry said that Trinidad and Tobago “is the first country that Curacao has approached to negotiate a trade agreement with, following the approval 2019 from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to allow the government to be self-governing.
“Further, the country officially became an Associate Member of CARICOM on July 28, 2024,” the ministry said, adding that the direct sea route between the two countries will complement the existing air transportation link, which is currently serviced by the state-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL) twice weekly.
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