Opposition spokesperson on trade and global logistics, Anthony Hylton, is demanding the government take immediate steps to clear up what he and the People’s National Party (PNP) are calling a ‘man-made logistics crisis’ at the Port of Kingston.

Responding to the growing complaints by small businesses, individuals and relief organisations who have been hit with extraordinary delays in clearing containers from the port, and increased costs for demurrage and related charges, Hylton explained:

“The annual Christmas congestion at the Port of Kingston is a known and recurring weakness that the government has failed to fix. This situation was exacerbated by the surge of relief imports in the post-Hurricane Melissa period as a result of the relief appeal by the government, and the duty-free concessions announced, but no corresponding operational capacity or announced crisis protocols were implemented.”

“The result is a man-made logistics crisis, undermining disaster response and imposing additional costs on small enterprises and individuals, including returning residents. Despite clear warning signs from previous years, there is no public indication that the government implemented the systemic reforms needed to build resilience before Hurricane Melissa,” continued the shadow minister.

Hylton further argued: “Individuals and SMEs are being charged demurrage and storage fees amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars for containers and packages they cannot clear because of systemic delays they did not cause and cannot control. This amounts to a private penalty for public sector and port operator inefficiencies.”

In the context of a declared disaster and a known systemic bottleneck at the Port of Kingston during the Christmas season, the government has a duty to protect vulnerable groups in society and to ensure that critical relief goods are not priced out of reach by port-related charges, the PNP spokesman said.