Havana, August 16 (RHC-Bernama)-- With the help of Chinese financing, Cuba has finished dredging the Santiago de Cuba Bay as part of efforts to modernize the key port there, project directors have said.

Now the Guillermon Moncada Port will be able to receive ships weighing as much as 55,000 tons, compared with the 30,000-ton capacity previously, Xinhua new agency reported.

China Communications Construction Company is taking part in the upgrading project, which begun in 2015 with a 120-million-US-dollar line of credit.

Walter Niuvo, the Cuban investor in the project, praised the Chinese collaboration as three state-of-the-art cranes were delivered at the port to help move cargo containers with precision.

The Cuban-Chinese project is expected to build warehouses, perimeter fences, coastal protection hardware, a guard house and light towers.

It will also improve the roads and railways serving the port, as well as tourism facilities, bringing more economic and social benefits to the area.

The completed port will feature a modern container terminal, a 232-meter-long pier, two warehouses with the capacity to hold 20,000 tons of cargo, and a wastewater treatment plant.