ST JAMES, Jamaica — Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Pan Jamaica Group Limited, Jeffrey Hall, contends that Jamaica’s logistics sector is far from stagnant, asserting that it stands shoulder to shoulder with the Dominican Republic in the race for the top spot in the region.

He was speaking on the topic “Redefining the Flow: Smart Capital, Green Corridors, and the Future of Caribbean Logistics” on the final day of the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF), held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Thursday. The CIF ran from July 29 to 31.

“We’re running neck and neck with the Dominican Republic in a race for number one position in the Caribbean islands,” Hall said.

“I think it is like this—whether by God’s grace or luck, or the fruits of our work and our capital and investment, or all of the above—whether we know it or not, we in Jamaica find ourselves sitting in the cab of a big, noisy, physical logistics vehicle, and it is moving forward. So I don’t think it is fair to say that we are stuck,” he added.

He underscored that, backed by a US$500 million investment over the past decade—including US$50 million this year—Kingston’s container transshipment volumes have surged more than 50 per cent above pre-COVID levels, placing Jamaica in close competition with the Dominican Republic for the top spot among Caribbean islands.

He also highlighted Jamaica’s advanced logistics capabilities, noting that the country’s infrastructure can accommodate vessels over 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). He pointed to major investments in vehicle transshipment, with Kingston serving as a key port for Höegh Autoliners—the world’s largest operator of deep-sea car carriers.

“Jamaica’s logistics business is substantial, but right now it is centred in Kingston. Montego Bay definitely has some important logistics elements, and I’ve started to invest in them myself, but it obviously has a very different core business model for its coastline,” Hall said.

— Horace Hines