UPGRADED PORT CREATES THE RIGHT IMPRESSION
Ready to receive the increasing numbers of visitors and help them to enjoy the island

Oranjestad is a regular port of call for giant cruise ships. Aruba Ports Authority is also looking to develop the island’s cargo business

The first sight to greet passengers visiting Aruba on the huge cruise ships is the island’s main port of Oranjestad, which has been improved considerably over the last decade. Beautification and renovation work has been undertaken by the Aruba Ports Authority (APA) to make visits to the port as comfortable as possible and create a positive impression.

The private sector has been working in conjunction with the authority and the Aruba Tourism Authority to cater for the rapidly rising numbers of visitors, and local companies compete with each other for the tourist dollar.
“When you are receiving 2,000-3,000 people you’ve got to offer an organized society and services,” says the APA’s General Manager, Milton Henriquez. “When people get off the ship, the first thing they want to do is see what the island is about. Some want to go scuba-diving or take jeep tours. More restaurants have opened up. There were not enough taxis, so De Palm Tours bought new buses. ”

MILTON HENRIQUEZ MD of Aruba Ports Authority

Mr. Henriquez took the helm at a time when the port needed upgrading, but there was precious little money available to carry it out. The APA, which is under state ownership but operates along private sector lines, took a slow but sure approach and has succeeded in transforming both itself and the port, improving efficiency and raising its financial profile.
Safety is also one of Aruba’s most prized features and Mr. Henriquez makes the point that Oranjestad is regarded as one of the safest ports of call in the whole of the Caribbean. “Aruba and the Bahamas are the only two locations where cruise ships will stay after 10pm,” he says. “They stay on until 1am because of the nightlife.”

Despite the improvements, Mr. Henriquez says that the port remains a functional facility. “Tourists don’t come to see terminals, they come to see the island,” he says. “Our policy is not to keep the visitor in the port, we want them to see Aruba. Of course, we arrange all the services for tourists to enjoy the island.
“We have the advantage that we are so close to the town of Oranjestad that we are completely integrated with it. Visitors get off the boat, walk through the clean terminal and are in front of the main shopping area. We are minimalist and it works.”

The APA is also looking to develop the island’s cargo business—the port handles roughly 17,700 containers a year—and there are plans to shift cargo operations to a new facility in the next few years. As well as the cruise liner and container port in Oranjestad, there is also Barcadera industrial port plus the oil port of San Nicolas, both on the east side of the island.
But Mr. Henriquez insists that tourism will continue to be the main force driving the development of Aruba’s maritime infrastructure. “Aruba has and will continue to develop through tourism,” he says.