14ymedio, Havana, 4 January 2025 — The Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) in Artemisa recovered in record time after the passage of Hurricane Rafael in November. Construction materials of military origin arrived; fuel was allocated in the midst of a supply crisis, and there was direct supervision of the regime’s main plan, headed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The impact of the hurricane was considerable: 29 of the 49 businesses based in Mariel suffered damage. “Catastrophic” was the adjective used by its managers to describe the panorama in an extensive report on Cuban Television. However, neither the blackout nor the crisis in which the country was immersed during those days was an obstacle to sending all possible resources to the ZEDM.
Ana Igarza, director of the Free Zone, said that before 36 hours had passed, reconstruction activities had already resumed. Electricity for the entire area was restored in less than three days, thanks to a legion of workers from the Electric Union who arrived the day after the hurricane.
Electricity for the entire area was restored in less than three days, thanks to a legion of workers from the Electric Union
The Army also intervened from the first moment. The governor of Artemisa, Ricardo Concepción, said that the Cuban military sent him more than 40,000 fiber cement tiles manufactured in entities of the Military Industry Company. “Today all municipalities now have materials,” he said. The role of the Western Army in Mariel’s record reparation has been “determining,” Concepción admitted.
The foreign companies that operate in the ZEDM, according to Televisión Cubana, are “godparents” for Mariel’s schools, and financed their recovery. For the governor, the visits of Díaz-Canel and Ramiro Valdés also had a military character: both were wearing olive green uniforms.
Most of the report deals with the opinions of foreign managers in the ZEDM, especially those who suffered the most damage. This is the case of Brascuba Cigarrillos, whose director, the Brazilian Gustavo Leite Machado, said that his factories had lost 50% of the roofing. The chimneys, machines and power plants were damaged by the rain. “The water fell directly on the machines, and the parts rusted. A dismantling and cleaning process was necessary,” said Robinson Tamayo, Cuban director of Brascuba.
Most of the report deals with the opinions of foreign executives in the ZEDM
Maylin Carmente, director of administration of the Mexican Richmeat, said that the blackouts affected the production of processed meat “considerably.” The plant, like that of Brascuba, suffered structural damage.
About 25% of the roof of the company Nescor – which produces crackers, coffee and similar products – was cut down by the hurricane. “It was quite difficult to see a factory like Nescor in that condition,” said its director, Jorge Rivas. Although he claims to have enough raw materials to continue working, he predicts that 2025 will be a hard year for the company.
Suchel, another of the famous tenants of the Zone, had damage to its drying tower, ceiling and walls. The hurricane prevented the launch of several lines of detergent, which the company expected to sell this year.
Thai Binh Green, a disposable diaper and paper factory that built an extensive photovoltaic park in Mariel, was badly damaged by the hurricane. They need “more than a million dollars to rebuild the park,” said its director. The shipments of solar panels promised by China as the “definitive solution” to the Cuban energy crisis arrived a few days later.
With more than 10,000 workers in its facilities, the Free Zone is the most important economic enclave in Cuba. The Government spends about 300 million dollars a year maintaining its structure, according to Ecured. Its area is 213 square kilometers and has four large Chinese cranes. Not willing to lose its most important economic bet, the Cuban Government has a motto for the ZEDM, according to Igarza: “There is no pause.” And, unlike what happens in the rest of the country, there was a lot of hurry.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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