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local Tuesday 16 sepTember 2025
The Royal Netherlands Army trains technical skills in Aruba and

Curaçao during the Caribbean Engineer exercise

ORANJESTAD – For the next
three weeks, military engi-
neers will train in Curaçao
and Aruba. Over 100 Dutch
military personnel will par-
ticipate in the annual Ca-
ribbean Engineer exercise.
During the exercise, they
will carry out work on de-
fense sites and help build
classrooms for the Fun-
dashon Futuro Brillante.

The Dutch military person-
nel of 105th Engineer Com-
pany will train their techni-
cal skills and teamwork in
Curaçao and Aruba over
the next few weeks. This an- ta Marine Barracks. There, resilience.q
nually scheduled exercise they are improving a jetty
offers the engineers the op- and dismantling a boat Images are from Caribbean
portunity to build and inno- ramp, among other things. Engineer 2024.
vate under tropical condi- Installations at the barracks
tions, putting their construc- are also being renovated,
tion knowledge and skills to using heavy-duty cranes.
the test. During their stay
in the Caribbean, they will In the coming weeks, the
work in various locations on engineers in Curaçao and
technical projects that not Aruba will be regularly seen
only strengthen their own with excavators, trucks,
skills but also contribute to cranes, and shovels. These
the community. During pre- large and important pieces
vious editions of Caribbean of equipment have been
Engineer, the soldiers built shipped from the Nether-
a guard post for Carmabi lands to the Caribbean so
at Shete Boka, a flamingo that the military can opti-
lookout tower in the Herm- mally perform their duties.
anus nature reserve, and Under tropical conditions,
they also rolled up their ing Fundashon Futuro Bril- and providing a canopy at they will practice their skills,
sleeves at the Kolegio Cha- lante build additional class- the Daou shooting range increase their deployabil-
ya Willems school. rooms. They are extending so training can take place ity, and contribute to the
a boat ramp at Parera in all weather conditions. In infrastructure and the com-
This year, the military per- Naval Base, renovating Aruba, the engineers are munity, further strengthen-
sonnel in Curaçao are help- guard posts at Wacao, working from the Savane- ing the islands' safety and

Planning on snorkeling? Get to know our Candelchi!

ORANJESTAD—If you’re Candelchi actually refers to characteristics. They are
ever planning on snorkel- the entire squirrelfish family heart-shaped with pink or
ing during your vacation on or, as some say, when we red hues and often show
Aruba, you may spot fish say candelchi, we mean heart-shaped streaks be-
that you can’t recognize. several different species tween the scales along
One of these may be the but without distinguishing the body. They have hard
“Candelchi” (Squirrelfish), them by species. In this fins and are always armed.
a common, yet shy fish that picture, we are showing Over at our sister island
swims all year long in the the most common one in Curaçao, they are called
waters of Aruba. our waters, which is called “bari di clabo” (nail barrel)
squirrelfish in English or sci- for that reason.
Let’s talk about the names entifically known as Holo-
of fish. Do you know your centrus adscensionis. In our waters, there are 7 to
fish? The Department of 8 types or species present
Department of Agriculture, Under candelchi, we in Aru- and they are sometimes
Livestock, and Fisheries, ba generally refer to all the caught and seen occa-
known as Santa Rosa, offers different species of squir- sionally. They can be distin- reefs or areas with structure prepared dry and crispy
this informative article that relfish. They all look alike guished by different marks in the water where they with lime. It is particularly
illustrate some fish and their and it’s really difficult to dis- such as color on the dorsal can hide. Although they challenging to scale the
names in Papiamento. tinguish between them. spine or marks on the body. prefer to hunt for food at fish, which is why it is not
night, they are also active one of the favorites among
Candelchi, Squirrelfish, Ho- The squirrelfish family is dis- In Aruba: during the day. They are fishermen. They often live in
locentrus adscensionis: tinguished by the following Candelchi are found on edible and delicious when groups.q