KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) this afternoon said it has managed to clear the backlog in the processing of containers for shipment and clearance, which resulted partly from the suspension of trucking services by haulage contractors during the August 8-9 period.

The KFTL disclosed in a release that a collaborative effort with the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) and the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) saw employees working extended hours over several days to help ease the backlog.

Over the period August 14 to 18, KFTL said it managed to deliver and receive 641 containers per day, which is 33 per cent above the 2017 daily average and 10 per cent above the traditional peak of December, with turnaround time at the gate trending down to an average of 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, the executives of both the Port Trailer Haulage Association (PTHA) and KFTL have reportedly joined efforts to reshape the gate in/out process to ensure greater efficiency and better overall performance, which will benefit all economic sectors.

The KFTL team, along with the PTHA, the PAJ and the JCA, said they will continue to work closely together to improve the overall process as well as increase productivity.