In August of 2014, Barbados’ main port operators, Barbados Port, Inc., signed a historic international sister-port agreement with the leaders of the Manzanillo International Terminal in Panama which promises close information sharing and mutual support between the two groups in recognition of the crucial role tens of thousands of Barbados workers played in the construction of the Panama Canal.
Bridgetown’s Port Barbados from whose careenage these canal builders once departed, is still a major international trade hub today, having berths, terminals, and full facilities to handle the bulk transport of sugar, molasses, wheat, petroleum, and container freight. Sugar has historically been and still is the signature product shipped out of Barbados, and the port can store some 80,000 tons of sugar and load or unload 500 tons of it in an hour.
Barbados is a small island of 432 sq km (167 sq mi) that sits 100 km (62 mi) out into the Atlantic from the nearest Caribbean Islands, but has always been classed nonetheless as a Caribbean nation itself. It is a gateway between the Caribbean and north Atlantic and a well-positioned stop-off point on routes from South to North America. Its main trading partners are: the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Trinidad and Tobago, and other Caribbean states.
Barbados’ infrastructure that supports its heavy trading operations consists not only in the port facilities in Bridgetown, but also in an extremely “dense” road system that sees more road length per mile than almost anywhere in the world. The main highway runs along the west side of the island from the airport, past Bridgetown, and to Speightstown in the north. Grantley Adams International Airport in Christ Church is well-connected to points all over the world and served by numerous commercial and passenger airlines. Barbados is the top air transport hub in the eastern Caribbean basin and was recently expanded and upgraded to the tune of 100 million U.S. dollars within the last decade.
Customs regulations in Barbados can be complicated: a waybill and an invoice is required in all cases, an additional CARICOM invoice and place of origin certificate is needed for intra-Caribbean shipping, and U.S. cargo necessitates a Shipper’s Export Declaration if any item shipped is worth over 2,500 U.S. dollars.
We are well-equipped to help you arrange freight shipments into and out of Barbados at the lowest possible cost, using the most reliable shippers, and navigating expertly Barbados’ customs regulations. If you have any Barbados freight or container shipment needs, please feel free to contact us to discuss your best options.
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