Port throughput continues to decline in Jamaica

From January to July, cargo throughput at Jamaican ports was 4.49 million tons, down 9% year-on-year. Compared with the 7.65 million tons in the same period in 2011, it has fallen by 40%. Statistics show that the main reason is the reduction of business in China.

Restoring growth is no easy task. The surrounding important ports are under construction. The Bahamas Freeports plan to raise its throughput from 1.5 million to 3.5 million TEUs; Panama’s Cologne has spent US$650 million in expansion in the past decade. In 2012, the throughput exceeded 3.5 million TEUs. . In order to improve the efficiency of docking, major shipping companies strengthened joint operations and integrated routes. The G6 alliance consisting of six shipping companies such as Hapag-Lloyd, optimized the routes to six, but only one passed Kingston. The three largest shipping companies, Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping and CMA have recently reached an agreement on joint matters. Since Maersk has a dock in Miami, Jamaica can only send more points to the company.

Therefore, it is necessary to consider the proposal to build the Goat Islands into the logistics center. The 3000-acre Goat Island is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind it lies the economic behavior of shipping companies, liners, port operators, and terminal space. The logistics center project and the expansion project of the Kingston Cargo Terminal will improve the frequency of China's movement in the Caribbean.