Investors line up behind Mariel industrial zone

More than half the expressions of interest have come from countries such as Italy, Russia and Spain, while others in Brazil and China have also been linked with the project.

Of the 72 enquiries so far received, 35 are already approved, 17 under analysis and the other 20 discarded. Areas being prioritised are linked to high impact technological development, which will generate high value-added exports, such as biotechnology or pharmaceutical. However, a lot of the investment requests so far received have come from sectors such as light industry, containers and packaging, chemicals, iron and steel, building materials, logistics and pharmaceuticals.

Cuba believes that the geographical location of the free zone is particularly advantageous, given that it is surrounded by 32 key ports in both Latin America and the Caribbean.