Opening Address by the Governor

of the Island Territory of Curaçao

CSA Caribbean Shipping Executives Conference

2006, May 22nd, 2006.

Madame President of the CSA, Mrs. Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvester, Honorable Commissioner Eugene Ruggenaath, Other Dignitaries, Distinguished guests, council members and delegates of the CSA,

On behalf of the Government of Curaçao, I wish you all a warm-hearted “Bon Bini” to our beautiful island. It is my honor to address you today and I would like to use this opportunity to thank the CSA for choosing Curaçao once more as the site for its business meetings. After a difficult, confusing post- 9/11 period, the maritime industry is back on track and business is conducted in a positive mood. The same can be said for most Caribbean economies, most of which are on the upswing.

Curacao's Governor, Mrs. Lizanne Richards-Dindial (right) receives

CSA memento from President Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvester

In most Caribbean economies, the traditional single crop economies have been marginalized and are now being replaced by other sectors, principally tourism. For others, the booming oil and gas industry is generating cash-flow and foreign currency, used mainly to finance social and infrastructure programs. Oil and tourism are the buzz words in the region, but beneath the surface there is a lot more going on. With the departure of our single crop economies, and the failure to industrialize on a large scale, the Caribbean is now preparing socially and politically to break down its traditional protective structures to allow for the free movement of people and goods. This requires not only a fundamental political change, but also a social change, as we need to educate our people about the virtues of change and open competition on a regional and even world-wide level. Services, and service are the tools with which we will have to compete in order to survive. I don’t think I need to stress the importance of this to you as representatives of one of the oldest service industries in the region.

As our political systems in the region differ, we are all reacting differently to the socio-economic challenges that lie ahead. The Caricom territories are gradually moving towards an integrated Caribbean Single Market Economy, or CSME. Central America seems to be integrating more and more with the NAFTA economies to the North. The Netherlands Antilles are also exposed to the pressures I mentioned and we also need to adapt our societies to the demands of the 21st century. The socio-economic changes in our region, as well as across the ocean in Europe, are now fundamentally pressuring the political structure of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Some of you may know that this structure basically consists of three levels: 1) the Kingdom government, 2) the separate countries of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, and 3) the various island governments within the Netherlands Antilles. Unlike Holland, the islands have never succeeded in becoming an integrated, unifying state within the Kingdom. The structure of the Netherlands Antilles in its present form survived for over 50 years, but is now rapidly decaying as our traditional societies are changing. All Kingdom partners now agree that fundamental changes are necessary and negotiations have been started to realize this goal as soon as is possible

Maritime issues are currently the responsibility of the Kingdom and the government of the Netherlands Antilles. It is too early to tell how the changes will affect these issues, but most likely you will see some transfer of authority to the island governments. However, as the Netherlands Antilles already have a very open maritime policy, I do not foresee any fundamental changes for your industry at this point in time. Our ports are already under the full authority of the island government and this will continue to be the case. There are several pressing port issues the island government needs to address, like the conditions under which the refinery can continue to operate, the investments needed for our dry-dock to survive, the location for the expansion of our cruise facilities and the new arrangements for the operation of our container terminal. Naturally, our role as a regional trading partner will determine the level and the nature of these arrangements and investments. Hence the relevance of your organization and meetings like this to further the development of our ports and our island.

The regional role of our ports is clearly visible also in the international navy exercise that is going on in our waters this week. Participation from nations around the world ensures that our waters remain safe and that the Caribbean is in the forefront of friendly cooperation between all nations. Obviously, our port merely serves as a ‘host’ for this operation, but we are proud to be able to handle and accommodate such a large and demanding fleet. In closing, my dear friends, please take some time of your busy schedules to relax and enjoy our beautiful island. It is improving every time you get here, as we try to preserve our past and develop our future. Our historic pontoon bridge, the Swinging Old Lady, has been restored and was just put back into operations. Please visit her and enjoy its scenic and historic value, she’s our pride and joy! Our tourism is increasing also and several large hotel projects are underway, including Hyatt, Westin and Renaissance near our cruise terminal. Our new airport terminal will open soon and new airlift is developing to fill the gap left behind by the demise of our national carrier.

Indeed, business opportunities abound in Curaçao and we want the region to participate in our business. I look forward to meet you all more informally this week and learn from your expertise and viewpoints.

I herewith declare the Caribbean Shipping Executives Conference 2006 open!

Thank you.