Find Freight, Shipping and Logistics expertise in Jamaica

Freight and the shipping of goods and cargo take place to, from and within Jamaica via air, land and sea. The Ports Authority of Jamaica runs the country’s three major ports: Kingston Container Terminal, the port of Montego Bay and the port of Ocho Rios. The Kingston Container Terminal has 2,410 metres of berth in its three terminals and 194 hectares of container storage space. The Port of Montego Bay and the Port of Ocho Rios are smaller but both have cargo and cruise ship activities. The Ports Authority is working to develop a logistics hub that will involve warehousing, repackaging and distribution of goods in a non-tax free zone. Jamaica is well placed along north-south air routes and shipping lanes, and has an extensive road network linked to airports. There are two main airports in Jamaica: Montego Bay, the main tourist airport, and Norman Manley, the main business arrival point. The latter is Jamaica’s primary airport for facilitating the movement of cargo and is located adjacent to Kingston Harbour.  Based on trade statistics the main shippers of goods to Jamaica are USA, countries of CARICOM, Germany, Venezuela and main destination of Jamaican goods are USA, Canada, UK and countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) (2010).

Tara Courier Services and numerous other courier firms provide courier services nationally and globally – Tara is a local partner for FedEx, the global logistics services company. Other major companies such as, UPS and DHL operate in Jamaica; UPS works through its local partner, Airpak Express. Key private sector bodies in the sector include the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica and the Shipping Association of Jamaica.

Jamaica is ranked 108th in the International Logistics Performance Index with a score of 2.53. This is 0.21 below the average Latin America & Caribbean’s score of 2.74. Jamaica is ranked 19th out of 22 among Latin America & Caribbean countries. Each country is scored from one to five, with one being the worst performance in terms of logistics, infrastructure and customs, amongst other categories. However, Jamaica has set out plans to develop its shipping infrastructure and logistic capabilities by 2030 by expanding the Kingston Harbour Port and establishing dry dock and bunkering facilities at Jackson Bay and Cow Bay respectively.