Singapore-based PSA International Has Operated Container Terminal At Port Of Mariel In Cuba Since 2011, But Scrubs Cuba From Its Web Site
/Singapore-based PSA International Has Operated Container Terminal At Port Of Mariel In Cuba Since 2011, But Scrubs Cuba From Its Web Site
The Port of Mariel container terminal opened on 27 January 2014 within the Republic of Cuba government-operated Zona Especial de Desarollo Mariel (Mariel Special Economic Zone- ZEDM).
Singapore, Singapore-based PSA International Pte. Ltd. (PSA) (2025 revenue US$8.6 billion)- [formerly Port of Singapore Authority] is “a leading global port operator and trusted partner to cargo stakeholders. Currently, PSA’s portfolio comprises over 70 deepsea, rail and inland terminals, across more than 180 locations in 45 countries- including two flagship port operations in Singapore and Belgium. Drawing on the deep expertise and experience from a diverse global team, PSA collaborates with its customers and partners to develop world-class port ecosystems and deliver innovative supply chain solutions to accelerate the shift towards sustainable trade.” PSA has a presence in the United States.
United States Department of the Treasury
Washington DC
23 July 2026
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury has updated the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List:
“TERMINAL DE CONTENEDORES DE MARIEL S.A. (a.k.a. MARIEL CONTAINER TERMINAL S.A.; a.k.a. TCM S.A.), Vista del Mar, Cuba; Organization Established Date 01 Jun 2011; Organization Type: Cargo handling; Entity Code 60597 (Cuba) [CUBA-EO14404] (Linked To: GRUPO DE ADMINISTRACION EMPRESARIAL S.A.).”
Links To Related Analyses
Port Of Mariel Reports Readiness To Receive Neo-Panamex Vessels May 15, 2023
Port Mariel Handles 2 millionth TEU Since Opening In 2014; Can Process 800,000 TEU Annually October 12, 2020
Port Of Mariel Operating At 39.5% Of Current Capacity; 90% Of Container Capacity Departs Empty April 06, 2017
The Trump-Pence Administration (2017-2021) on 2 May 2019 made operational Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 (known as “Libertad Act”).
Title III authorizes lawsuits in United States District Courts against companies and individuals who are using a certified claim or non-certified claim where the owner of the certified claim or non-certified claim has not received compensation from the Republic of Cuba or from a third-party who is using (“trafficking”) the asset.
ODETTE BLANCO DE FERNANDEZ et al VERSUS A.P. MOLLER-MAERSK A/S (a/k/a A.P. MOLLER-MAERSK GROUP); MAERSK A/S (a/k/a MAERSK LINE A/S); MAERSK, INC.; and MAERSK AGENCY U.S.A., INC [2:21-cv-00339 Eastern District of Louisiana] LINK To Complaint (2/17/2121)
Excerpt:
“As discussed more fully below, Defendant Maersk’s website touts that, since 2016, Maersk has been providing direct shipping services from Europe and Asia to Cuba, and specifically to the Port of Mariel, Cuba: In 2016, Maersk’s operation in Cuba broke all records, seeing its vessels carry 23,094 FFE to the ports in Mariel and Santiago. Volumes came from Asia primarily but also, increasingly, from Europe via a direct service which was launched the same year.
Defendant Maersk, together with its subsidiaries and agents, also has provided direct service from the Port of New Orleans to the Port of Mariel. As discussed more fully below, infra ¶¶ 108 - 110, according to the International Maritime Organization (“IMO”), a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping, the ship A/S PETRA (IMO # 9283708), while operated by Defendant Maersk A/S, sailed from the Port of New Orleans on four occasions in 2020 and called at the Port of Mariel, Cuba on January 20, 2020, January 31, 2020, May 20, 2020, and August 12, 2020, respectively. At each of the aforementioned callings at the Port of Mariel, the A/S PETRA engaged in commercial activities with the Port of Mariel and the Zona Especial de Desarollo Mariel (“ZEDM”) (a/k/a Mariel Special Economic Zone).”
NOTE: Since 2019, there have been Libertad Act Title III lawsuits filed against shipping companies for their use of the Port of Mariel. Most have been resolved in out-of-court settlements. In 2016, some shipping companies have suspended their presence in the Republic of Cuba marketplace.
Link: Netherlands-Based Nirint Shipping Reportedly Joins Two EU-Based Shipping Companies In Suspending Cuba Operations. June 26, 2026
HAVANA, 6 July 2011 (Reuters)- “Singaporean port operator PSA International Pte. Ltd. has quietly signed on to manage a container terminal under construction at the Cuban port of Mariel, sources close to the project said this week. The terminal is part of a larger scheme to develop Mariel Bay, 28 miles (45 km) west of Havana, into the Caribbean country's most important cargo hub and center of light manufacture.
PSA International won a bid to manage the terminal last year and had been in negotiations ever since with Mariel developer Zona de Desarrollo Integral de Mariel, a subsidiary of the military owned Almacenes Universal S.A. The sources said the agreement was to manage the port and did not involve any investment by the company. Mariel Bay is one of Cuba's finest along the northern coast and the port is destined to replace Havana, the country's main port, over the coming years.
No further details of the deal were available, but the sources said PSA International would now actively participate in planning the terminal, which is scheduled to open by 2014 when larger vessels will begin traversing the Panama Canal, now being expanded. The Singapore company operates numerous ports around the world, including in Panama and Argentina.
The Mariel terminal, which will have an initial 700 meters (765 yards) of berth, is ideally situated to handle U.S. cargo if the American trade embargo is eventually lifted, and will receive U.S. food exports already flowing into the country under a 2000 amendment to sanctions. Plans through 2022 call for Mariel to house logistics facilities for offshore oil exploration and development, the container terminal, general cargo and bulk foods facilities and a Special Economic Development Zone for light manufacturing and storage, the sources said.
Brazil has pledged $800 million so far to finance construction of infrastructure and port facilities already under way in conjunction with the Odebrecht group, Brazil's largest construction and engineering firm.
Brazilian Presidential Adviser Marco Aurelio Garcia toured Mariel and met with Cuban President Raul Castro earlier this year, followed in June by former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Garcia said $400 million in financing had already been disbursed and another $200 million of the promised $800 million approved. He said an additional loan was under consideration.
Mariel Port will handle vessels with up to a 15 meter (49 feet) draft, compared with 11 meters (36 feet) at Havana Bay due to a tunnel under the channel leading into the Cuban capital's port. The terminal will have an annual capacity of 850,000 to 1 million containers, compared with Havana's 350,000. Plans call for shutting down all port operations and an oil refinery at Havana Bay, which, with its excellent real estate overlooking the water, is to become a recreation area.”
