Building a Better Jamaica

KINGSTON (JIS):
Saturday, February 27, 2010

The new Caribbean Transshipment Hub, which will facilitate the transporting of large motor vehicles throughout the region, was officially launched on Friday (Feb.26) during a ceremony held on board the 'Höegh Caribia' at Kingston Wharves.

This hub, previously sited in San Juan, Puerto Rico has been relocated to Jamaica and terminal operations will now be facilitated and managed by Kingston Wharves Limited.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kingston Wharves, Mr. Grantley Stephenson stated that the hub speaks volumes about the confidence that Höegh Autoliners has in the country.

"We intend to demonstrate that their confidence is not misplaced. Several years ago Kingston Wharfs requested that all the ship agents representing car carriers to collaborate with us in an effort to establish a vehicle transshipment hub here at Kingston. International Shipping saw the opportunity, grabbed it with both hands pursued it vigorously and here we are this afternoon launching the service," Mr. Stephenson said.

He noted further that managing the terminal operations of Höegh Autoliners newly relocated hub marks another milestone for Kingston Wharfs.

"Indeed I am proud that Kingston Wharfs Limited will be able to directly impact on Höegh's expanded service. Our commitment to this project cannot be questioned to the extent that we commenced preparations even before we knew an agreement has been finalised," Mr. Stephenson said.

He further noted that with the advance technology, infrastructure and state of the art technology that Kingston wharfs possess, that facility will be providing critical support to the hub's operations.

"Initially it is expected that this hub will see the transshipment of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 cars and a large number of other vehicles including trucks, buses, and earth moving equipment will be facilitated by us on a yearly basis," Mr. Stephenson said.

In his remarks, Owners Representative in South America of Höegh Autoliners Mr. Tore Listad stated that the vessel will serve the Caribbean for many years to come.

"By moving the terminal to this island from San Juan it also opens up serving a very big island north of here. Beside shipping cars I want to mention that we ship trucks, buses, construction machines, static cargo for both the oil industry and mining industry. We see this as start of a new era for us in the Caribbean and we are very enthusiastic about starting on this new set up here in Jamaica," Mr. Listad said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Mike Henry complimented Höegh Autoliners for choosing Jamaica as its transshipment hub for vehicles destined for the Caribbean.

Höegh Autoliners is a leading global provider of Ro/Ro vehicle transportation services. The company operated in 2008 approximately 70 PCTCs (Pure Car and Truck Carriers) in global trade systems which are managed from a worldwide network of 31 offices in four regions. Customers include global manufacturers of new cars, heavy machinery and rolling goods. In 2008, Höegh Autoliners carried about 2.0 million car equivalent units and made almost 3,100 port calls.