Port international de Port-au-Prince Haiti's Gateway to Trade

Port international de Port-au-Prince is the largest port in Haiti, strategically located on the northern coast of the island.

Located in the heart of the Caribbean, the port plays a crucial role in Haiti's economy, serving as a vital gateway for trade and commerce.

The port's facilities are designed to accommodate a wide range of cargo, including containers, bulk cargo, and project cargo, making it a hub for international trade.

With a deepwater quay and modern equipment, the port can handle large vessels and efficiently process cargo, reducing transit times and costs for importers and exporters.

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The Port international de Port-au-Prince has a rich and complex history. On June 13, 1872, a German fleet seized Haitian Navy ships in the port as a means of pressure to have the Haitian government pay a 20,000 thaler debt to a German businessman.

In 1906, a Haitian-American company gained a 50-year concession to manage and operate the port. This concession led to significant changes in the port's administration and operation.

The port's administration was transformed in 1956 when the Administration Portuaire de Port-au-Prince was created, supervised by the Banque de la République d'Haïti (BRH).

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Port-au-Prince has a rich history dating back to 1770, when it replaced Cap-Français as the capital of the colony of Saint-Domingue.

In 1791, Port-au-Prince was burned in a battle between attacking black revolutionaries and defending white plantation owners, a pivotal moment in the country's struggle for independence.

The city became the capital of newly independent Haiti in 1804, after a long and bloody fight for freedom.

The seaport in Port-au-Prince, known as the Port international de Port-au-Prince, has been a significant hub for trade and commerce in Haiti. It has more registered shipping than any of the over dozen ports in the country.

The port's facilities include cranes, large berths, and warehouses, but these facilities are in universally poor shape. This has led to the port being underused, possibly due to the substantially high port fees compared to ports in the Dominican Republic.

In 1999, the port was considered the most expensive port at which to dock and unload in the Americas, causing ships to unload in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

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The Port international de Port-au-Prince has a total of 7 berths, with two of them being Ro-Ro berths, one 14 metres wide and the other 29 metres wide.

The total length of the berths is 1,250 metres, which is impressive for a port of its size.

Facilities at the port include a gantry crane with a capacity of 30 tonnes, a 33-tonne capacity forklift, and six other forklifts with capacities between 3 and 7 tonnes.

The port also has sixteen truck trailers and eight flatbeds for moving containers.

Here are the details of the private quays in the bay of Port-au-Prince:

The port has 11 buoys, identified by letters from A to Q, which help guide vessels into the harbour.

Port-au-Prince is one of the nation's largest centers of economy and finance.

The city exports its most widely consumed produce of coffee and sugar, and has also exported goods like shoes and baseballs in the past.

Port-au-Prince has food-processing plants as well as soap, textile and cement factories.

Unemployment in Port-au-Prince is high, and compounded further by underemployment.

Levels of economic activity remain prominent throughout the city, especially among people selling goods and services on the streets.

Port-au-Prince has a tourism industry, with the Toussaint Louverture International Airport serving as the country's main international gateway for tourists.

Tourists often visit the Pétion-Ville area of Port-au-Prince, with other sites of interest including gingerbread houses.

The city's economy is also reliant on construction companies, despite political unrest affecting the city.

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The port has 24/7 security guards on duty, but it's not covered by CCTV. The port is surrounded by a high perimeter fence, and there are two distinct entrances: CPS gate (Waaf Jeremie) in the north-east and APN in the south-east.

CPS has their own security company patrolling the CPS section of the port, while APN is responsible for security in the southern section. The PFSOs work in close cooperation to ensure the facility's security.

Access to the port is restricted at times, especially considering the area is situated in a zone subject to gang activity and sporadic violence.

The Port of Port-au-Prince responded to the 2016 Hurricane Matthew crisis by adopting a coordinated emergency plan with international organizations. This plan included prompt intervention logistical support for food and non-food primary items, agricultural recovery, shelter, and health measures.

A logistics working group was created to work with the government, providing logistics coordination and information management support. The Port of Port-au-Prince also set up a logistics coordination hub to assess requirements, coordinate, and facilitate access to common logistics services.

Private sector actors, including UPS, Agility, Moeller Maersk, and DP World, made available logistics capacities on a pro bono arrangement to support the response efforts.

The 2010 earthquake had a profound impact on Port-au-Prince, devastating the central historic area of the city. Most of the buildings in this area, including the Cathédrale de Port-au-Prince and the Presidential Palace, were severely damaged or destroyed.

The city's seaport was severely damaged, limiting aid shipments for the first week. The airport's control tower was also damaged, requiring the US military to set up a new control center with generators to get the airport prepared for aid flights.

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Ralph Youri Chevry was the mayor of Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake, and the city's government municipal buildings, including City Hall, were destroyed. An aftershock rated at a magnitude of 5.9 caused additional damage on January 20, 2010.

Haiti's rugged topography, reflected in its name, "Ayti" or "Mountainous Land", made it challenging to deliver aid to the affected areas. The country's irregular coastline and rocky shores also made it difficult to access the affected areas by sea.

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Hurricane Matthew, 2016 was a Category 4 hurricane that hit the Port of Haiti in 2016.

The Port of Haiti is a small but vital gateway for the country.

Its importance was highlighted when it was hit by the hurricane.

The port is a crucial entry point for goods and supplies, making its resilience essential for the country's economy.

The government of Haiti responded to the crisis by adopting a coordinated emergency plan with international organizations such as the IFRC and the United Nations.

This plan included prompt intervention logistical support for food and non-food primary items, agricultural recovery, shelter, and health measures, especially after the ongoing cholera outbreak worsened after Matthew.

A logistics working group was created to work with the government, known as the Logistics Cluster, which was established in 2018.

Coordination units with dedicated staff in the major logistic hubs, such as the Port of Port-au-Prince, provided logistics coordination and information management support.

These units facilitated the handling of incoming cargo and helped assess the requirements for logistics services.

A logistics coordination hub was set up in Port-au-Prince to coordinate and facilitate access to common logistics services, including GIS/mapping services and cargo tracking.

Private sector actors, such as the logistics emergency team, made available logistics capacities on a pro bono arrangement to support the response efforts.

This team was comprised of four global logistics and transportation companies: UPS, Agility, Moeller Maersk, and DP World.

They provided upstream supply through airlifts and international ocean freight to Port-au-Prince.

Inland logistics, such as warehousing space, forklifts, and trucks, were made available to receive aid and transport it within the country.

In 2018, the port established plans to expand its capacity by constructing a new wharf, developing new storage areas, buildings, and offices, dredging, acquiring new port equipment, and constructing a larger container yard.

These plans aimed to ensure better physical connectivity and improve maintenance works, including improved lighting, perimeter security, and fire systems.