Yahneake Sterling, Staff Reporter
Robertson-Sylvester: (left) Container shipment by roads hazardous to communities. Minott: Penalties a disincentive. - PHOTOS BY RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
RICHARD MINOTT, president of the Customs Brokers Association of Jamaica, has blasted the inefficient movement of containers from Port Bustamante in Kingston to Freeport in Montego Bay.
According to Mr. Minott, the containers are transported by Seaboard Jamaica Ltd., but the ships have space constraints and there is no guarantee that they will arrive on their scheduled Tuesday or Thursday dates.
"If your container is not on the ship to Montego Bay, then you have to pay daily storage cost of US$35," Mr. Minott disclosed during a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the company's North Street offices in central Kingston yesterday.
Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvester, CEO of Seaboard Jamaica, said, "At least one ship is guaranteed weekly; the Tuesday ship is sure, but the Thursday ship operates on a fortnightly basis."
Mr. Minott is, however, disappointed about the cost for transporting by sea: "It costs US$800-US$900 to ship containers from Kingston to Montego Bay. What I want to ask is if Montego Bay isn't a part of Jamaica?" he argued.
"I want the Customs authorities to revisit this matter and substitute measures which will facilitate efficient trade."
HEAVY PENALTIES
He explained that once the containers get to Montego Bay, importers have 24 hours to return the container to Kingston. This is at a cost to them that can be in the region of $15,000-$25,000. If containers are not back by the scheduled time, then there is a detention fee of US$35-US$65.
"The problem with the current system is that you have to plead your case to the director of Port Bustamante and the commissioner of customs, which can take a couple days. This is an inconvenience to custom brokers who travel from Montego Bay," Minott said.
Meantime, Andrew Henry of the Port Trailer Haulers Association said, "The matter of transporting by road is one of accountability. When we have reputable trucking companies, then we can consider transportation by road." He went on to state, that in the past there had been 'incidents' when transporting by road and as such, transportation by sea was introduced.
As it relates to the cost to sea transportation, Mr. Henry stated that it was more costly to operate a ship than it is to operate a truck.
Mrs. Robertson-Sylvester said that when the highways were finished, there may be considerations made for transportation by road.
"Transporting a container by road poses a threat to communities," she said, adding that the present road system posed difficulty, especially in mountainous areas.
