The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) is exploring the development of a new export port in St Thomas, part of its push to make Jamaica the go-to supplier of construction materials across the Caribbean — particularly Guyana, where oil wealth has triggered an unprecedented wave of infrastructure projects.

Chairman of the PAJ Alok Jain, who made the disclosure at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) annual business conference recently, said that plans are being assessed to establish additional ports across the island, with St Thomas among the proposed locations.

He stopped short of outlining a timeline for when the PAJ intends to capitalise on the opportunity.

“We have looked at establishing new ports around the country for the export, for instance, of aggregates. There is a huge demand in Guyana, with their oil reserves building out infrastructure at a pace that they haven’t since independence. They need aggregates, they need limestone, they need cement.

So there are plans to open new ports and one of the locations that we are looking at is St Thomas. You have to put those ports near where the mines are, because you don’t want to mine in one place and have to transport around,” Jain said, responding to a question following his presentation, “Positioning Jamaica as the fourth node of global logistics.”

His statements give new momentum to an opportunity first identified by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in March 2023, when he urged local quarry operators to expand production to serve regional markets. Holness had pointed to the surge in Guyana’s demand for aggregates, saying Jamaica was “well-placed” to become a supplier of choice across the Caribbean. Around the same time, Prime Minister Holness also instructed the Port Authority to turn its attention to the issue.

The opportunity for the export of aggregates has only grown since.

Data from international trade tracker Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) show that Guyana imported US$47 million worth of gravel and crushed stone in 2023 — a more than 250 per cent jump from the previous year — as its oil-fuelled development boom outpaced domestic production. The country’s government has been forced to rely on both open tendering and single-source contracts to secure steady supply for roads, bridges, and housing projects.

Guyana has turned mainly to Suriname’s State-owned Grassalco to plug the gap, but has also invited suppliers from Jamaica and other Caribbean countries. Reports are that several Jamaican producers responded positively to the call last year, with early shipments already testing the route.

The Jamaica–Guyana route testing comes amid a changing global trade landscape, one that Jain believes is shifting in Jamaica’s favour as tariff upheavals redraw supply chains.

“Every time I see a headline about tariffs or global trade disruptions, I smile. For Jamaica, that’s actually a good thing. The global supply chain is moving closer to home, and we are right in the middle of it,” he said.

The proposed St Thomas port could serve as a dedicated bulk export facility, designed to move aggregates and other heavy materials more efficiently to regional buyers. Jain said its location is key: close to Jamaica’s eastern quarries and limestone deposits, cutting down on inland transport costs and congestion at Kingston Harbour.

Still, his confidence in Jamaica’s logistics prospects goes beyond the St Thomas proposal. He sees it as part of a renewed push to finally turn the long-touted vision of making the island a global trading hub into reality.

“Our long-term vision is to position Jamaica as the fourth global logistics node — after Singapore, Dubai and Rotterdam. There isn’t one in the Americas, and Jamaica is ideally located to fill that gap. We have the language, the legal system and the leadership to seize this opportunity,” he said.

It’s an ambition that, for years, felt aspirational. But Jain believes the timing is now right. With tariffs and shifting trade blocs disrupting established supply routes, he reasoned that Jamaica’s location — one to three days’ sailing from every major US East and Gulf port — is becoming a genuine competitive advantage.

That vision is already taking shape on the ground. Since 2016, more than US$400 million has been invested in the Kingston Freeport Terminal and earlier this year, two new cranes, each valued at about US$10 million, were delivered to the terminal to enhance operational efficiency.

“The next phase of growth is unfolding west of Kingston, where the Port Authority is betting big on Caymanas,” Jain said. “That is actually very close to the port…700 acres of land. For the first 200 acres, we’re investing eight billion Jamaican dollars to make it investment-ready, to bring in utilities, water, electricity, wastewater, all of that, so next time investors come, they’re not seeing a piece of bush.”

The Caymanas Special Economic Zone is envisioned as a modern logistics and light-manufacturing hub that will allow Jamaica to capture more value from transshipment by adding processing, assembly, or packaging before goods are re-exported. According to the PAJ website, Jamaica’s port network spans 17 cargo facilities across the island, including three public ports and 14 private wharves that handle a mix of containerised goods, fuel, alumina, cement, and aggregates.

A cargo ship passing through a port: A glimpse of the kind of activity the Port Authority hopes to replicate in St Thomas as Jamaica moves to expand its export capacity.