Port extends hours amid cargo surge

The Bridgetown Port began extending its closing hours Thursday evening among other measures to ensure timely cargo deliveries amid a notable surge in volumes.

From Thursday until Saturday, operating hours were 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the facility remaining open through the weekend to facilitate the delivery of personal and commercial cargo, according to Barbados Port Inc. (BPI) Chief Executive Officer David Jean-Marie.

He acknowledged the additional pressure on the Port’s resources due to the seasonal increase in volumes, and emphasised the commitment to minimising equipment downtime, maintaining direct deliveries, ensuring efficient vessel operations, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy of scanning all cargo, and providing ample resources for cargo delivery.

Regarding cargo handling equipment availability, the port chief stated: “While previously there was an issue with one crane, that was resolved and all three cranes have since been available over the last several weeks.”

Jean-Marie addressed intermittent issues with one scanner being offline on Wednesday, clarifying that it did not impact deliveries, which continued until 11:00 p.m.

The BPI CEO highlighted the impact of the ongoing global supply chain crisis on Barbados, noting challenges in the Panama and Suez canals that affected Bridgetown and other ports in the region which led to disruptions in vessel arrival schedules.

Responding to concerns about cargo vessels anchored outside the Port during the cruise season, the CEO affirmed that the national policy prioritising cruise vessels remains unchanged. 

Cargo lines are aware of this policy and plan accordingly, Jean-Marie said, adding that with a single exception blamed on “ineffective communication”, there have been “no challenges with vessels calling at Bridgetown” during the winter cruise season. 

“The Port continues to serve both cargo and cruise vessels through the winter cruise season from which the country derives significant economic benefits,” he declared. (PR/BT)