A special economic zone
ZED Mariel is Cuba's designated special economic zone surrounding the Port of Mariel. It was established by a Cuban Decreto-Ley (decree-law) in 2013, giving it a distinct legal footing intended to make the area more attractive to foreign companies than the wider Cuban economy.
Special economic zones are a common development tool worldwide: a defined territory where investment, customs, and business procedures are organised to encourage industry and trade. ZED Mariel applies that model on Cuba's northwest coast, pairing the zone with a modern deepwater port.
What the zone is for
The stated focus of the zone spans foreign investment, manufacturing, and logistics. The idea is to concentrate export-capable industry and warehousing next to the container terminal, so that goods can be produced, stored, and shipped from a single coordinated location.
Co-locating industry with the port reduces inland transport and links factories directly to maritime trade lanes. The zone is administered in connection with Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (MINCEX).
How it is administered
ZED Mariel is managed through a zone administration that works with MINCEX, and it offers a one-stop office — the Ventanilla Unica, or single window — intended to streamline the procedures an investor must complete.
Because the zone deals with foreign capital, US sanctions administered by OFAC are a central consideration: they constrain which companies and financial flows can participate. This page is informational and does not describe specific incentives, tax terms, or eligibility, which are set by Cuban authorities and change over time.
The zone and the port together
The defining feature of ZED Mariel is that the special zone and the deepwater port were conceived as a single project. Industry located in the zone sits beside the container terminal, and both connect to Havana through the same road and rail corridor.
This integration is the logic behind the whole undertaking: attract foreign manufacturing and logistics, give those operations a modern maritime outlet, and keep the inland journey to Cuba's largest market short. Understanding ZED Mariel therefore means seeing the zone and the port as two halves of one design rather than as separate facilities that happen to share a location.