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Short-sea shipping

Short-sea shipping: A solution to Caribbean logistics challenges?

August 21, 2018 by Krista Lucenti - Erick Feijóo - Iván Corbacho - Sergio Deambrosi 1 Comment


Caribbean islands face significant competitive disadvantages in trade because of a variety of factors — including the size and nature of their economies and their geographic location, which necessitates a reliance on maritime and air transport for most of their import and export needs, with 90 percent of goods being transported by sea.

At the same time, maritime transport and insurance costs in the Caribbean are 30 percent higher than the world average. These costs are the result of a unique set of interrelated challenges, including but not limited to outdated and inefficient port infrastructure, lack of flexibility in working hours, labor-intensive operations, and high customs and excise taxes.

Short-sea shipping (SSS) networks

Multiple transshipments increase the cost of imported intermediate and final goods, further dampening the region’s competitiveness. Given this, can strengthened networks for short sea shipping (SSS) — the movement of cargo by sea without crossing an ocean — be a mechanism by which the region can create more competitive and reliable transport options?

To answer this question, the IDB has commissioned an examination of SSS networks in the Caribbean to determine the suitability and sustainability of possible investment options. The study (Short Sea Shipping Network and Finance Model for the Caribbean) analyzes existing transport and trade infrastructure, as well as regulatory frameworks. The authors, CPCS Transcom, undertook careful scenario analyses to offer valuable insights into ways to improve and strengthen regional SSS networks. Findings include:

  • Interisland trade volumes in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean are not sufficient in and of themselves to justify a customized SSS service. Implementation would be contingent on the will and ability of countries to provide subsidies. Northern Caribbean countries (e.g., Jamaica, The Bahamas) are already well-connected to global trade routes.
  • The directionality of shipping services remains a problem, as all liner services travel north-south, delivering loaded containers and picking up (mostly) cargo on the way south.
  • From the shipping liners’ perspective, current service levels and directionality are in line with the region’s needs.
  • Low cargo throughput means that significant infrastructure and equipment upgrades may not generate the financial returns required for the investment.

In the absence of financial feasibility of a dedicated SSS network and resources for infrastructure investment, the authors make the following recommendations for further investigation and/or implementation:

  • Reversing the direction of cargo flows (i.e., south-to-north) could be profitable for shipping lines.
  • Reducing port handling charges for intraregional less-than-container-load containers could yield benefits and implementing this is within the control of Caribbean service ports, which are publicly operated.
  • Strong policy support is required to promote SSS — active engagement within CARICOM and with the Secretariat is essential.
  • Focusing on trade and transport facilitation (e.g., port community systems, customs modernization, and robust electronic single windows for trade) could improve efficiencies and reduce the time and cost of moving goods within the region.

Filed Under: Regional Integration, Trade Facilitation, Trade Promotion Tagged With: International trade, Regional Integration, Trade Facilitation

Krista Lucenti

Krista Lucenti is a Senior Trade Specialist in the Trade and Investment Division of the IDB based in Trinidad and Tobago. She coordinates the Division’s Caribbean operational portfolio which consists of projects focused on maritime transport and ports, trade facilitation, logistics and global services exports. In recent years, she has coordinated the Caribbean Strategic Agenda on Integration, undertaken research in the areas of trade and maritime transport, and coordinated regional policy dialogues. Prior to joining the Bank, Krista worked at the World Bank in Geneva where she supported work on the Integrated Framework, trade facilitation, and diagnostic trade and integration studies. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Bern, Switzerland as well as degrees from both the School of Oriental and African Studies, London and McGill University, Montreal

Erick Feijóo

Erick Feijóo is an international economic policy consultant based in Berlin, Germany. Over the past 10 years, Erick has been focusing on policy and regulatory issues related to trade, energy, the environment, and digital technologies. Erick worked on these areas at international organizations, think tanks, the public and private sectors in the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. He holds a bachelors from the University of Buffalo and a masters from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Iván Corbacho

Iván Corbacho holds a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia . He collaborates with specialists in the preparation of projects and deepening in the areas of knowledge, especially in the fields of Urban and Sustainable Transport. He has worked in the private sector and in other Multilateral Banks. He was a consultant at the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, researcher at the Transport Innovation Center, assistant professor at the Department of Infrastructure and Territory of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and engineer at the company Inypsa.

Sergio Deambrosi

Sergio Deambrosi es especialista en Transporte del BID. Nacido en Argentina, Sergio tiene un Ingeniero Hidráulico de la Universidad de La Plata y un postgrado en Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ambiental de la Universidad de Buenos Aires. Ha sido capacitado en Financiamiento de Infraestructura Público Privada (Escuela de Gobierno, Universidad de Harvard), Regulación Económica de los Servicios Públicos (UADE), Planificación y Evaluación de Proyectos Hidráulicos (CIDIAT, Venezuela) y Planificación de la Movilidad Urbana ( Universidad Católica Argentina UCA). Ha trabajado en proyectos de Transporte, Agua y Saneamiento y Desarrollo Urbano en varios países de América Latina durante 30 años. En Argentina, fue Jefe del Departamento de Estudios y Proyectos y Gerente Técnico de National Water Works.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Willerd Sánchez says

    December 20, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    This has been one of the best articles I’ve read. As the saying goes, “unity is strength”, if all governments and private companies of the Caribbean meet and invest in the infrastructure of this sector, we will all move forward. An example is King Ocean (www.kingocean.com), that is a company worthy of being recognized both for its social activities and for its work. I only hope that all sectors reach an agreement and produce a positive change for all.

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