MONTEGO BAY, St James — Despite Jamaica’s advancements, Port Management Association Chairman Darwin Telemaque believes the region’s logistics sector remains gridlocked due to fragmentation and lack of integration.

He also criticised regional governments for turning to foreign investors to operate Caribbean ports instead of leveraging the proven Kingston Wharves model.

According to Telemaque, insular thinking and self-imposed divisions are holding the region back, and he has called for unity to build a stronger, more connected logistics network that benefits all.

“Take Kingston Wharf terminals concept to the rest of our ports. Instead of having Turkish investors come to buy the ports of the Eastern Caribbean, show up. Let’s have discussions, because if governments are willing to build terminal operating arrangements with foreign people, you have one of the most efficient ones here in Jamaica; stop hiding it. Come talk to us. We want to have the same efficiencies you have, but we’re so stuck with little islands, that’s where we’re stuck. The water sticks us. Break the shackles of these lines that we draw on ourselves, and let’s build a region where each of us makes the other stronger, and then we can probably have a lot more from you,” he urged.

Telemaque’s comments came Thursday on the third and final day of the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF) at Montego Bay Convention Centre.

He was among a panel looking at the topic ‘Smart, Green, Connected — or Just Stuck? Breaking the Caribbean’s Logistics Gridlock’,”

However vice-president of BPO and Logistics at the Port Authority of Jamaica, Gloria Henry, who was among the panellists, disagreed with Telemaque’s assessment, pointing to substantial investments that have been made to advance the country’s logistics sector.

To support her argument that Jamaica is not “stuck” she highlighted the Port Authority’s role in leading major infrastructure developments, including the multimillion-dollar expansion of the Port of Kingston and the Kingston Container Terminal.

Henry also referenced the US$400-million investment by French shipping company CMA CGM in Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL), primarily to upgrade Kingston Container Terminal, under a concession agreement designed to leverage Jamaica’s strategic location and position the country as the fourth node in the global logistics hub.

However, Telemaque argued that it is troubling that KFTL is excluded from Caricom’s transport and logistics discussions.

“We’re stuck when CMA CGM invests US$400 million at the only terminal in Caricom, and that terminal is not part of a Caricom discussion for what happens in transport, in logistics. It’s not even mentioned. It’s almost as if it doesn’t exist. If you look at investments in logistics, the work done here is not mentioned as one of the key pillars to begin the work of solving the logistics problem we have in Caricom,” he argued.

“I think we’re stuck, and I’m not questioning that. I think we’re stuck, not because Jamaica is moving ahead, because Caricom is stuck,” Telemaque added.

He argued that while individual countries in the region are making progress, their efforts remain disconnected and unable to support a unified regional logistics strategy. He stressed the need to integrate these initiatives to unlock real progress.

Highlighting Kingston Freeport Terminal as the largest and only globally connected port in Caricom, he noted that despite its scale and CMA CGM’s significant investment, it offers limited logistics and transshipment support to the region, as it was primarily established to serve external, not regional, interests.

“We are challenged by the fact that if you take the region and you start speaking about what each of us is doing, we’re not stuck, but none of us can help the unit. So we have to figure out a way to take the works being done here… and merge that… so that we can begin to see how we unlock it,“ Telemaque said.

“Now, here’s what I see is crucial — and I’ve said this so many times — Kingston Freeport Terminal is the largest operating terminal in Caricom. It’s the only global connected port in Caricom. There’s none else, but it also delivers very little logistics and transshipment support to Caricom. It was set up not for Caricom,” he argued.

Vic-president of BPO and Logistics at the Port Authority of Jamaica, Gloria Henry, speaking during a panel discussion one the topic ‘Smart, Green, Connected — or Just Stuck? Breaking the Caribbean’s Logistics Gridlock’ on the third and final day of the Caribbean Investment Forum..