Fire affects container terminal at the Port of Mariel

A small fire was reported on Monday in the yard of the Mariel Container Terminal (TC Mariel), the only facility of its kind in Cuba, according to information shared by the state media Canal Caribe via social media.

The incident occurred around 9:30 in the morning and was quickly brought under control. Authorities proceeded with the evacuation of personnel according to established protocols, and no injuries were reported.

What makes this sequence of events particularly striking is its immediate context: just on Sunday, June 21, TC Mariel itself had issued an official statement denying audios and rumors circulating on social media about a supposed emergency at its facilities.

In that statement, the terminal assured that it was operating "as it usually does, without interruptions or any accidents occurring," and launched the #NoALasFalsasNoticias campaign urging to "always verify information with official sources and avoid sharing unconfirmed content that could cause confusion."

Less than 24 hours after that denial, the Canal Caribe itself — a state media outlet from Cuba — confirmed a real fire in the terminal yard.

The TC Mariel is not unfamiliar with incidents of this kind in recent years. In May 2023, a fire in the electrical generation area of Mariel was controlled by firefighters without major consequences.

Months later, in September 2024, another fire in the same area during welding work left eight injured, highlighting a pattern of vulnerability in the facility's infrastructure.

The Port Container Terminal of Mariel was inaugurated in January 2014 as the centerpiece of the Mariel Special Development Zone, a project by the Cuban regime to attract foreign investment. Its construction was partially financed by Brazil and carried out by the company Odebrecht.

With the capacity to process up to 800,000 TEUs annually —and a master plan aiming to reach three million— the terminal handled approximately 300,000 TEUs in 2023, highlighting a significant gap between its potential and actual operation.

So far, the Cuban authorities have not provided any additional details regarding the causes of the fire or potential impacts on the terminal's operations.