Curaçao

Ports/harbor services

Ports of Curaçao

When the Dutch established themselves on the island in the 1600's, they transformed Curaçao into the Caribbean's shipping center. Many countries used the safe, deep, naturally sheltered harbor of Willemstad as a hub to transport their precious cargoes to their final destinations. The establishment of the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Refinery in the early 1900’s spurred the modernization and industrial process. This prompted a series of developments that turned the Ports of Curaçao into the multi-faceted maritime service center it is today.

Centrally located ports, which are outside the major hurricane routes, offer many competitive advantages. Modern infrastructure combined with Dutch know-how, guarantees the best possible service for shipping and cargo handling.

-Some of the information in this section is reproduced with the kind authorisation of the Curaçao Ports Authority-

The Ports of Curaçao are all natural sheltered ports that offer safe, fast, and reliable handling of ships and cargo. The ports that are available for commercial purposes are: