The Downtown Owners and Merchants Association, DOMA, is expressing its concern that "Based upon current measurement data in units of movement, the Port of Port of Spain is now being listed by shipping lines as the slowest port in the entire Caribbean.
In response, the line Minister for the Port spoke with TV6 News about a lack of scanners for the Customs and Excise Division that occurred before the new Government took office.
00:00Doma said on Wednesday that the delays being experienced at the Port of Port of Spain have caused several shipping lines to wait outside of the port and to go beyond their docking dates, sometimes by as much as almost two weeks.
00:15Doma said that to improve their turnaround time, some lines have now, in desperation, chosen to discharge their cargo at the Port of Point Lisas, where the association said another serious problem exists.
00:28Doma said the Customs and Excise Division has recently closed its Point Lisas office and requires submission of documents for screening and approval at the San Fernando Customs Office.
00:40Doma emphasized that, for many reasons, this has created untenable delays.
00:45Doma said that, while they do not wish to add to the many pressing matters being faced by the new government,
00:51the association believes that the inefficiency that has been described to it is a danger to the Trinidad and Tobago economy.
01:00Contacted by TV6 News for comment, Works and Infrastructure Minister Jolene John made reference to a letter she said
01:06she did not have in front of her at the time of our telephone interview on Wednesday,
01:10but recalled it was written by the Comptroller of Customs during the former PNM administration.
01:15She would have written in 2023, or thereabouts, to tell them that they needed to get scanners, right, for the port,
01:24what they call the NII scanners, or what have you, NL scanners,
01:29because she needed to examine the goods coming in the containers and the barrels 100%, right,
01:36because there were guns and illegal guns and drugs thrown on the streets of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:41Further reference was made to the officer in charge of the Customs and Excise Division.
01:45She went further, and I'm just kind of recalling from memory,
01:50that she had to balance the ease of doing business,
01:53she put this in writing, against what was happening on the streets of Trinidad and Tobago,
01:58legal, guns and drugs.
02:00So she moved the number of containers and whatever she was checking per day from just over 100 down to 15.
02:09Minister John told TV6 News about a meeting soon after she was thrown into office
02:13that included the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Homeland Security.
02:17We met with the comptroller the following day, and then she moved it to 65.
02:22So right now she's supposed to be checking maybe 65 a day.
02:25We have met the whole years, they have reached out to me, as did the TTME.
02:31We met with both groups.
02:32Doma said it has been made aware of the likely possibility of a major congestion surcharge
02:43being imposed on all cargo destined for Trinidad and Tobago,
02:47which could be a further major input cost, a matter it said is extremely serious.
02:53Minister John said the procurement of new scanners has begun under the new government,
02:57but noted the process is a long and laborious one due to the procurement legislation.
03:03Just today I spoke to the CEO of the port about the same thing,
03:07in terms of there's a busy period coming up.
03:09How can the port speed up?
03:12And again she reminded me,
03:13Minister, this is also a function of customs wanting to inspect 100%.
03:18The Works and Infrastructure Minister said a similar situation is occurring
03:22at the port of Point Lisas and added the government is not insensitive to what is happening.
03:28The port of Port of Spain, the PPOS, and the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
03:32said in a statement that objective data from the PPOS operations within the last four months
03:38has indicated vessel weight times as follows.
03:42April 2025, 43 vessel calls, average weight 1.4 days.
03:47May 2025, 35 vessel calls, average weight 2.7 days.
03:54June 2025, 35 vessel calls, average weight 4.2 days.
03:59July 2025, 38 vessel calls, average weight 2.7 days.
04:05The PPOS said it is cognizant of the fact that ports in the region
04:09have been encountering difficulties in recent months
04:12due to a rise in cargo volumes, global shipping interruptions,
04:17and delays in documentation.
04:19The Port of Port of Spain said it has taken proactive measures,
04:22including coordinating closely with shipping lines
04:24to increase the reliability of vessel arrivals,
04:28implementing operational adjustments to improve yard capacity
04:31and birth productivity,
04:33and working with all agencies to streamline document processing and clearance.
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