Cuban port poised to reap from trade as US eases embargo, normalises relations

Mariel, Cuba

THE last time that Elda Fernandez Acosta saw US ships come into the harbour at Mariel was to evacuate thousands of Cubans seeking a better life abroad 34 years ago. The next time she sees them, they will be loaded with Cuban goods for export, she said.

"Once the blockade falls, the economy here will really take off," said Ms Fernandez, communal assembly president of Cuba's biggest port, as she looked out from her office at four new Brazilian-built cranes across the bay. "Companies will come here to export all over the world."