27 May 2015
“Haiti’s first Panamax Port, Port Lafito, has taken another step towards Caribbean hub status with the announcement that Evergreen Marine and King Ocean Services will be using the port as a future port of call.
Pierre Liautaud, GB Group Executive Vice President of Infrastructure, told Port Strategy that Haiti is at present the second largest market for Evergreen.
“The efficiency that Evergreen gains by calling Port Lafito offers the possibility to incorporate Haiti to its service to Dominican Republic, which is the largest market for them in the Caribbean,” he said.
“We believe that Port Lafito is geographically well situated to be a Caribbean hub and are actively soliciting lines to engage the second phase of the port to provide transshipment services.”
The multi-million dollar Lafito port project is a private, public and international partnership between Haitian and foreign private sectors and includes investments from the GB Group, Haitian State Bank, Capital Bank, FDI the International Finance Corporation, FMO-the Dutch Development Bank and Nationale D’assurance S.A (NASSA).
Lafito’s US$80m port is the first project of its kind and is expected to drive the creation of more than 25,000 new jobs by 2018, as well as foster a new vibrant economic social centre and establish attractive regional logistics to the island.
Port Lafito started its operations one year ago at the dry terminal to service Evergreen who started a feeder calling at Port-au-Prince. Port Lafito will receive new mobile harbour cranes in the coming weeks and will be looking to continue building its services and operations.”1
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“Haiti Aims for Caribbean Hub Status.” Port Strategy. Mercator Media, 27 May 2015. Web. 29 May 2015. <http://www.portstrategy.com/news101/world/south-america/haiti-aiming-for-caribbean-hub-status>.