Maduro Holding
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping, Tourism, Logistics, Aviation |
| Founded | 1837 |
| Headquarters | Willemstad, Curaçao |
Area served | Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Netherlands, United States |
Key people | George Alvarez-Correa (Chairman of the Board) Henry Van Der Kwast (Chief Executive Officer) |
| Subsidiaries | S.E.L. Maduro & Sons Maduro Travel, Inc. Insel Air Insel Air Cargo Curaçao Port Services Curaçao Harbor Corporation Laparkan Maduro Airfreight Services Maduro Transport Services TNT Netherlands Antilles Caribbean Shipping Agencies Limited |
Maduro Holding B.V. is a holding company with interests in all companies belonging to the Maduro Group, a conglomerate operating in the shipping services, tourism, logistics and aviation industries throughout the Dutch Caribbean. Maduro Holding is headquartered in Willemstad, Curaçao.
History
Early History
The Maduro Group traces its roots to S.E.L. Maduro & Sons, a trading company founded in 1837 that is the longest operating company in the Dutch Caribbean. The company founder, Salomon Elias Levy (S.E.L.) Maduro, began by importing basic commodities from the tax free port of St. Thomas, later adding schooners to regional ports, eventually reaching as far as New York. Maduro with the help of his two sons soon expanded into ship bunkering and stevedoring to satisfy increasing demands from transcontinental ships calling on Willemstad's port.[1]
Following the opening of the Panama Canal, Royal Dutch Shell built what was the world's largest petroleum refinery in the port of Willemstad due to its naturally deep harbor, its stable government, and its relative proximity to the Maracaibo Basin. During World War II, Willemstad became a critical transshipment hub serving as the sole supplier of petroleum to the Allied Air Forces in Northern Africa and Great Britain. It was during this period that the port emerged as one of the top ten harbors in the world in both tonnage and traffic handled.[2] In 1929 the firm also entered the travel industry, becoming agents to PanAm World Airways and later to KLM in 1934.
Present Day
S.E.L. Maduro & Sons presently acts as an agent to approximately 600 shipping companies. The company provides ship management services for tankers, cruise ships, freighters, among others. The company also provides logistical services ranging from international sea and airfreight forwarding to warehousing and distribution. The recently constructed Mega Pier now accommodates post-Panamax supertankers and cruise ships. Maduro Travel is the group travel agency and specializes in tour planning throughout the America's and Caribbean region. Launched in 2006 in cooperation with local partners, Insel Air is the current flag carrier of Curaçao.
Foundation of Maduro's Bank
At the turn of the 20th century, S.E.L. Maduro & Sons' financial department was operating as a quasi-central bank having issued its own currency to support the struggling economy. Beginning in 1901, the firm repeatedly petitioned the Dutch crown for a banking charter or to take over the Central Bank of Curaçao. Finally, in 1917 Maduro and Joseph 'Shon Jojo' Alvarez-Correa from the commerce house Correa Hermanos & Co., founded Maduro's Bank, the first commercial bank in the Netherlands Antilles. In 1932, Maduro's Bank merged with Curiel's Bank to form Maduro & Curiel's Bank.[3][4]
References
- ^ "S.E.L. Maduro & Sons, Roots of Our Future". Curaçao Chamber of Commerce & Industry. December 11, 2002. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "Isla refinery, Curacao". vrcurassow.com. February 15, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "The Curacao Island: Maduro Curiel Bank MCB Curacao". thecuracaoisland.com. May 21, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ "Maduro & Curiel's Bank, Roots of Our Future". Curaçao Chamber of Commerce & Industry. December 11, 2002. Retrieved August 10, 2012.