Transport and Works Minister, Robert Pickersgill (second left) and Noel Hylton (second right), President of the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), sign a five-year agreement for Kingston to continue as Zim's transshipment hub in the Caribbean with Dr. Yoram Sebba (centre), President of Zim Israel Navigation Company Limited. The contract was signed in Israel recently. Others from left are: Rosalie Donaldson, the PAJ's Senior Vice-President, International Marketing, and Tommy Stramer, Executive Vice-President of Zim Israel Navigation Company Limited. - Contributed MINISTER OF Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill and Dr. Yoram Sebba, President of Zim Israel Navigation Company Limited, recently signed a five-year agreement for Kingston to continue as the transshipment hub for Zim's operations in the Caribbean.
"This agreement provides a significant impetus for us to continue the expansion of the Port of Kingston. We are focused on maintaining shipping as a leading contributor in our national economic profile, and this partnership with Zim translates into meaningful growth possibilities," said Minister Pickersgill.
The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) has initiated US$60 million expansion of the Kingston Container Terminal that will increase the Port's capacity by 25 per cent to 1.5 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
"Zim operates a complex feeder service in the Caribbean, with Kingston as the hub." said Dr. Sebba. "Over the years, we have worked closely with the Port of Kingston to ensure the success and efficiency of our operations and we are very excited about the future. This new agreement secures a significant element in our geographic coverage."
Zim recently completed its new building programme with large container vessels at total investment of $650 million. The new building programme will improve customer service and will increase the company's carrying capacity. Thirteen 5,000-TEU vessels will constitute the fleet of Zim's first global service (ZCS), which route is Haifa, West Med, US East Coast, Jamaica, US West Coast, Far East and back to Haifa. The new vessels will replace the present fleet of fifteen 3400 TEU container ships. The new fleet will reduce the round trip time from 105 to 91 days. This building programme has a crucial effect on the upgrade of main services in the company and is to increase the fleet capacity significantly.
President of the PAJ, Noel Hylton said, "We've leveraged our superior location and the phase for expansion of the Kingston Container Terminal to add value to Zim's two global services, ZCS and AUX, and by doing so we've validated our position as a world class hub in the Caribbean."
In a recent survey, Kingston was listed in the top three of all international ports served by Zim. The survey examined the productivity of approximately 15 ports around the world and concluded that Kingston was the most improved.
ABOUT THE PAJ
The PAJ is a statutory corporation established by The Port Authority Act of (1972). It is the principal maritime agency responsible for the regulation and development of Jamaica's port and shipping industry. The Authority is responsible for the safety of all vessels navigating the ports of entry and regulation of the tariffs charged on goods passing through the public wharves.
ABOUT ZIM ISRAEL
Zim Israel Navigation Company is one of the largest container shipping companies in the world and the flagship of Israeli shipping. Zim offers transportation services along most of the major international trading routes to customers throughout the world. From its corporate headquarters in Haifa, it operates an intermodal system, which combines sea, land and air transportation, enabling the Company to provide fast, reliable, frequent and complete door-to-door services around the world.
