Business and the economy
All new units to be built in the Hermitage Shopping Mall extension in Paramaribo have been fully rented. The new units of the mall will be ready in May 2009, after some delay. Featuring among the new tenants will be a new outlet of McDonald’s. The Hermitage Mall is owned by Surinam Fatum Investment Group.
The Surinam government has opened negotiations with Alcoa and BHP Billiton for the acquisition of a minority stake in the Paranam bauxite refinery, now BHP Billiton is abandoning the plant and its 45% stake is available. BHP Billiton’s stake is estimated at around 2.2 billion USD.
Surinam state oil company Staatsolie is heading for record profits of 380 million USD pre-tax for 2008. In 2007 profits were 230 million USD and the year before a mere 150 million USD.
The Surinam government announced that the renovation and expansion of Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (Zanderij) will be carried out by Brazilian contractors in exchange for extensive cuts in the Surinam national debts to Brazil. The works are estimated at 30 million USD and will be paid from transfers made by the Dutch government.
Japanese oil company Teikoku Oil Suriname invests more that 15 million USD for 3D seismic exploration of the Surinam coast in Block 31, the area acquired by Teikoku.
Security
The Surinam Police Force (KPS) maritime branch has acquired 16 new vessels in different classes for patrolling inland waterways. KPS forensic research for crime scene investigation has been boosted by the purchase of new equipment for its Forensic Laboratory at Nieuwe Haven Police Station. At another occasion a large batch of new motorcycles was handed over to KPS.
(De Ware Tijd)