The Port of Santo Domingo is nestled in a privileged geographic location at the mouth of the marine entrance to the City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic’s location at the center of the Caribbean is very well suited for flexible itinerary planning as well as for easy transfers and accommodations due to excellent road and airport infrastructure within the Santo Domingo region. The port is well suited for both: turnaround and transit visits.

The Port of Santo Domingo is being totally renovated as part of a major redevelopment project aimed at integrating the port area and Santo Domingo’s Colonial City to create an attractive destination for cruise, yacht and high-end tourism.

The project, supported by legislation approved in 2005, is being developed by a private consortium and includes the construction of new infrastructure: the rehabilitation of the two current terminals, major dredging works in the approach channel and turning basin, a new sports marina and a 122-acre (0.49 km²) real estate development.

The port’s rehabilitation started in early 2006, and includes the Don Diego Terminal refurbishment (completed in December 2006) and the building of a new Sans Soucí (French: carefree,  without worry) Terminal.

Location: Latitude N18°28.15’ Longitude W69°52.5’ Local time: GMT – 4 Weather/Climate/Prevailing Winds: From May 15 until September 15. Climate: mostly sunny, tropical. Hurricane season runs from June to November Prevailing winds: direction ENE-ESE. Average temperature range: 28C-30C.

In the past three years, the old port Don Diego was remodeled, was built a new terminal on the east bank, the contaminated Ozama river dredging and was ready to receive ships and a major real estate project of ambitious dimensions would be lifted in Villa Duarte, behind the famous lighthouse black-yellow Punta Torrecilla.

The project, managed by the Sans Souci Tourism Investment Group, promises to change the horizon (skyline) from the city. The investment surpasses 250 million dollars and guarantees, once completed, about 15 thousand direct jobs and a great contribution to Gross Domestic Product of the country.

Of the three phases in which it divides the project (port, real estate and marine), the first, the adequacy of the operation of ports for cruise ships, is almost ready. In January 2009 the port will be opened Sans Souci Resort.

The executive director of the Sans Souci Group, Luis Molina, told daily Listín Diario that many positive things have happened since the refurbishment of the port Don Diego in 2006 and the launch of the passenger terminal at the port Sans Souci in 2008.

 "From 40,000 passengers in 2006, the 2007-2008 season will close with the arrival of 82,000 passengers and coming, God willing, we will exceed 125,000 passengers," he said. Terminations are among the most modern in the Caribbean and in the years ahead Santo Domingo will conditions to receive about 9 thousand passengers per day.

 At the moment the company is working with the government in the relocation of the Naval Base on February 27 to his new post in Boca Chica and is preparing to commence in approximately 18 months, the lifting of urbanization that will cover around 2500 housing units.

Among the stench of putrefaction Ozama which often reaches the historic center and the criticism of those who are unaware of what was cooked beyond their offices, the firm betting that in some years the coast south of the country will be another.

Real estate project
Renowned architect and urban planner Eugenio Perez Montás told daily Listín Diario it appears that the mystery round draft Sans Souci because "we do not know anything about that."

Luis Molina said he is quite the opposite: "We are open to questions and concerns of anyone who wants to know the project," said. "We present the project at schools and universities, and I myself have done over 70 interviews."

The cause of such comments is, perhaps, that the second part of Sans Souci, which corresponds to the real estate project, has not been started and the public expects, since 2005, see the expected "result" of the project.

 "Although the project was conceived not only as a Marine, just as port or only as a real estate project, and we are working all goes well."

 The real estate project will be developed on land that now occupies the emblematic Naval Base on February 27.  "It's a very big project. Only we, the Sans Souci Group, will invest more than $ 100 million, with a multiplier effect. The original plan was that Sans Souci acting as a developer and enables tourism development investments of approximately $ 500 million, "says Molina.

The most drastic changes to the environment will suffer are the demise of the Naval Station and the offices of the Navy, and Spain diversion of the avenue. "We will make a mixed-use urban project in tourist and residential and commercial vocation. We want to develop at Sans Souci in the city of Santo Domingo as an entertainment destination, "said the representative.

 The master plan includes a commercial plaza with a restaurant open, permanent space for samples, a standard structure that serves to make amphitheater concerts for small groups (a few thousand people), residential and institutional connected to the port, luxury hotels and boutique type, centers convention, office towers, a building for the headquarters of the Navy and fire stations and police.

"It will be a development of 480 thousand square meters that basically it so happens that it is in a very public, in the city center. Really what we believe is going to help make redevelopment of urban order in the city, "said Molina.

The idea is also to make a kind of city walking. "The avenue Spain is going to divert around the edge of the project because the idea is to make it a boulevard, with lighting fixtures and kiosks. People may enter the public areas of the project. We're not buying the port, is a concession. "

COMMITMENT
There is an initiative of the Group Sans Souci that even its executives admit that they did not advance much: corporate responsibility.

"We have three flags in this case, working with education, environment and sport" in the areas of impact of the project.

Luis Molina, an industrial engineer with a master's degree in business, believes that an initiative like Sans Souci works if there is that people will buy the plot and moves.

"The capital is where it is welcome and there are opportunities. All this creates an economic movement around the project, the community at large benefits but had to be prepared, "he says.

Therefore, he says, are preparing proposals for the residents of neighboring communities to Sans Souci learn English and specialize in technical areas (plumbers, operators, painters ...). "We want to eventually approach the INFOTEP to develop what would be a technical center to train community people who will be working on this project." 

In short, Molina added, "we have to interact with 13 government agencies: the city councils, Culture, Tourism, Public Works, Environment, Port Authority, Politur ...."

The worst enemy
The contamination of the Ozama river was and still is emerging as the great enemy of the project Sans Souci. The group has been criticized for sanitation work carried out jointly with the Navy are not enough and the river is still a landfill whose odors reach the historic center. In that regard, Molina said that people can not imagine everything that has made the Group to contribute to cleaning up the river. 

The Group invested carries about 43 million dollars and that includes the work of dredging the harbor.  We spend about 10 billion pesos in a prevention system two years ago between the two bridges, were mounted mesh of about 18 feet to receive the solids that are submerged and semi-submerged.

Any rubbish off the drainage of the Cañada del Diablo came up there and every time it rains there to clean it and remove mud. Everything that is done in the middle and lower river affects us. But it is a problem that transcends Sans Souci, "said Molina.