JAMAICA’S INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS SEA PORTS
Jamaica is advanced in modernising its port, airport, road, telecommunications, water supply and sewerage infrastructure. Investment in infrastructure is an important priority in national development, given its impact on competitiveness in the economy. The island has been a high performer in attracting foreign direct investment over recent years, particularly in the area of tourism, and this performance has been attributed to improvements in its infrastructure. Jamaica has nine active ports. The Port of Kingston is the largest, which at 21 square kilometres of navigable water, is the seventh largest natural harbour in the world. Located along the north/south, east/west axis of the Caribbean, the port is just 32 miles from the trade routes that pass through the Panama Canal. The Port of Kingston is divided into two terminals: (i) Kingston Container Terminal (KCT), which is owned by the Government and operated by The Port Authority of Jamaica and (ii) Kingston Wharves, which is owned and operated by Kingston Wharves Limited, a public company. Kingston Container Terminal has a capacity of 2.8 million Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs). Transshipment accounts for 85 per cent of throughput at the facility. There are mainline services to North and South America, Europe, the Far East and Australia. KCT is a key player in the development of Jamaica’s logistics hub. Facilities include three terminals: North (21.63 hectares), South (43.87 hectares) and West (13.53 hectares); 2,310 metres of berth with depth of up to 14 metres; 19 cranes; 73 straddle carriers; 10 terminal tractors; 16 multi-trailer trains; 14 empty container handlers; 28 terminal tractors; 744 reefer plugs; and 27 chassis. The Terminal is controlled by a state-of-the-art computerized management system. Kingston Wharves has a capacity of approximately 200,000 TEUs. The facility includes: 1,644 metres of continuous berth with up to 13.0 metres depth; terminal area of 25 hectares including 30,000 square metres of covered warehousing and cold storage; 53,000 square metres off-port storage for vehicles; and state-of-the-art equipment including 3 mobile harbour cranes. With stellar infrastructure, competitive rates and a central location, the transshipment opportunities in Jamaica are limitless. Our easy accessibility to the main shipping lanes that run through the Panama Canal makes the Port of Kingston even more attractive to international shipping companies. Over 30 shipping lines have operations in Jamaica, covering all the major routes to the North and South American continents, Europe and the Far East.
4
The Port of Kingston:
“The natural harbour in Kingston is the 7th largest in the world”