The two ports need to stop operating like protected state utilities and start functioning like competitive regional logistics businesses. The first priority is speed, because in modern shipping time is money.
If vessels are waiting too long to berth, containers sitting for days, customs processes moving slowly, or trucking systems causing congestion, shipping lines will simply bypass Trinidad and Tobago for more efficient ports in places like Jamaica, Panama or even expanding hubs in Guyana.
The Port of Port of Spain should aggressively position itself as a Caribbean transshipment and cruise logistics hub by modernising cargo handling equipment, digitising customs and port clearance, extending 24/7 operations, reducing bureaucracy, and creating reliable turnaround times that shipping companies can trust.
Meanwhile, Port of Point Lisas should evolve into a specialised industrial and energy logistics hub tied directly to manufacturing, petrochemicals, dry bulk cargo, and regional exports, with integrated warehousing, bonded logistics parks, and value added services where cargo can be processed, assembled, packaged, or redistributed before export.
Both ports also need stronger labour productivity agreements, anti-corruption safeguards, predictive maintenance programs, and modern IT systems that allow real time cargo tracking and electronic payments because global investors now compare ports digitally before they even visit physically.
Government must also market T&T aggressively to regional shipping lines, Latin American exporters, and global logistics firms by offering competitive tariffs, tax incentives for logistics companies, and public-private partnerships to attract foreign expertise and capital.
Most importantly, the country needs a unified national maritime strategy linking ports, airports, highways, manufacturing, and energy sectors together, because ports do not create economic growth in isolation; they create growth when they become engines of trade, distribution, industry, and regional commerce.
Gordon Laughlin,
Westmoorings
