PORT ST. MAARTEN

CARGO AND HANDLING SECTOR AT PORT ST. MAARTEN

Effective and efficient cargo handling comes as standard at Port St. Maarten’s Captain David Cargo Quay located at the Dr A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facility. The terminal has expanded symbiotically with its customers’ needs over the years and is now a regional sub-hub for container transhipment, serving a wide range of carriers as well as the all-important domestic market.

The cargo sector is a vital part of the nation’s economy, not only in terms of generating revenue, but also because most of the food and consumer goods needed by islanders are imported by sea. For this reason, it is vitally important for the whole operation to be streamlined and well managed.

Facilities

The Captain David Cargo Quay is 500 meters long with a depth alongside of 10.5 meters, having been extended from 270 meters under the 2007-9 expansion program.The facility is served by two Gottwald HMK mobile harbour cranes, with a lifting capacity of 100 – 120 tonnes. These perform a range of duties in the port, not least of which is container handling. Each year the port handles thousands of teu’s and acts as a feeder port for many of the smaller islands nearby.

At the southern end of the port a breakwater protects the container yard from the worst of the storms and hurricanes that occasionally hit the island. There are two ro-ro berths, at the southern and northern ends, as well as an Inter-Island Pier serving the local region.

As well as handling inter-island vessels, St. Maarten serves as a transhipment hub for the islands of Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Barths, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda and the Eastern Caribbean.

Transshipment

The main focus of Port St. Maarten continues to be on trans-shipment. St. Maarten offers numerous advantages over its competitors. In addition to its central geographic location, there has been considerable investment in new infrastructure, equipment, the Global Logistics System (GLS) software platform, the Port Community System (PCS) and streamlining of crane operations. All these improvements

Services

Port St. Maarten became a landlord port in 2001. The aim was to give the port greater commercial flexibility as well to create and maintain a competitive edge. As a result, cargo handling operations are now carried out by the port’s two stevedores. A wide range of equipment is available at the quay including reach stackers, top lifters, yard mules, chassis, trucks as well as fork-lifts and other equipment. Island-wide transportation services are readily accessible using a large fleet of chassis and trucks. In addition, there are many related services such as container repair, and third-party logistics services.

Cargo services have grown in parallel with the volumes handled as the port aims to meet all its customers’ needs. One of the first liner services chose to call at St. Maarten due to the port’s flexibility and the willingness to expand together. This partnership is typical of the symbiotic relationship that exists between the port and many of the lines that call. For some lines, St. Maarten is the first port of call from Europe and this situation means that it fulfills a vital role as a feeder port for inbound cargo that is destined for other local islands.

The introduction of the GLS software allowed the whole port to be fully automated. Containers are tracked and monitored using mobile tracking devices, and all documentation and invoicing is carried out in real-time. Containers and trucks are scanned when entering and leaving the port to create a full picture of port operations at all times. Other services including water provision, bunkering, and waste oil can all be booked through the online GLS portal.

Productivity

One of the key elements of the port’s success is the close cooperation between the stevedores and the port management as they work towards a common goal, investing as demand dictates. The result is a high level of customer satisfaction among the lines using the port’s services.

Following the latest changes to operations and infrastructure improvements, St. Maarten now offers some of the best productivity ratings in the region. Its GLS software has improved the speed of clearance from days to just minutes, while crane operations are achieving high rates of moves per hour. All things considered, the future for St. Maarten’s cargo sector – and its transshipment business – is bright indeed. The port is seen as a facilitator of growth for the island and there is widespread optimism that this growth will continue.