Jamaican authorities have granted the CMA CGM subsidiary Terminal Link the long-term concession to operate and develop the Kingston Container Terminal (KCT).
The Port Authority of Jamaica confirmed to Port Strategy that the concession will be granted to Terminal Link and that the finer details surrounding the contract will be available in April.
KCT consists of the North, South and West Terminals, which are currently owned by the Port Authority of Jamaica and operated by KCT Services.
Terminal Link will be looking to create a deeper access channel and turning basin for post-panamax vessels. Development will also include increasing the throughput of the terminal up from its current capacity of 2.8m teu.
Jamaica began talking about plans to make the island into a global logistics hub back in 2013.
Back then, projects under discussion included developing the Port of Kingston ahead of the expansion of the Panama Canal and the development of a new commodity port to be built in eastern Jamaica to specifically handle petroleum products, coal, minerals and grain.
There was also talk of construction of a large scale ship repair docks to service the increasing volume of post-panamax vessels.
A critical aspect of the global logistics hub initiative was the broadening of bilateral collaborations with Jamaica’s global partners and encouraging private sector investment and financing through private-public partnerships (PPPs).
