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Two more ports in Caribbean vie to become transshipment hubs
PORT Lafito, a private port under development in Haiti, and Puerto Rico's Port of the Americas are the latest in the Caribbean vying to become transshipment hub hoping to handle postpanamax ships, which will transit the expanded Panama Canal in early 2016.
The ports' plans were unveiled during the 38th annual Conference on the Caribbean and Central America in Miami, reported the Miami Herald.
The Haitian port proposes dredging to 17 metres from its present 12 metres, according to Port Lafito director Pierre Liautaud.
The Puerto Rican port in Ponce is big ship-ready with a draft of 15 metres. Port officials would like to see the Port of the Americas become a major global shipping hub in coming years and are looking for an international port operator to run it.
But the seas are already crowded with ports both in the United States and the Caribbean that want their deep water to capitalise on the expansion of the Panama Canal, which will allow the passage of ships that can carry three times as many containers as the panamax ships can today.
Billions of dollars of investment in new ports and port improvements have been made throughout the region or are being contemplated in this race for deep water.
PortMiami is dredging its shipping channel to a depth of 50 to 52 feet and will be the first US east coast port south of Norfolk, Virginia, with water deep enough to handle a fully loaded post-Panamax ship.
But not everyone is convinced this part of the world needs so many deep-water ports.
"We have too many ports in the Americas and there are too many ports that are developing container capabilities beyond what will ever be needed," former Tampa port authority CEO Richard Wainio. "There will be winners and losers."
The ports' plans were unveiled during the 38th annual Conference on the Caribbean and Central America in Miami, reported the Miami Herald.
The Haitian port proposes dredging to 17 metres from its present 12 metres, according to Port Lafito director Pierre Liautaud.
The Puerto Rican port in Ponce is big ship-ready with a draft of 15 metres. Port officials would like to see the Port of the Americas become a major global shipping hub in coming years and are looking for an international port operator to run it.
But the seas are already crowded with ports both in the United States and the Caribbean that want their deep water to capitalise on the expansion of the Panama Canal, which will allow the passage of ships that can carry three times as many containers as the panamax ships can today.
Billions of dollars of investment in new ports and port improvements have been made throughout the region or are being contemplated in this race for deep water.
PortMiami is dredging its shipping channel to a depth of 50 to 52 feet and will be the first US east coast port south of Norfolk, Virginia, with water deep enough to handle a fully loaded post-Panamax ship.
But not everyone is convinced this part of the world needs so many deep-water ports.
"We have too many ports in the Americas and there are too many ports that are developing container capabilities beyond what will ever be needed," former Tampa port authority CEO Richard Wainio. "There will be winners and losers."
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