Bahamas – Freeport expansion to go ahead

A US$ 250 million expansion of Freeport Container Port looks set to go ahead after Bahamian prime minister Perry Gladstone Christie confirmed that his government was about to agree the scheme with owner Hutchinson Port Holdings and main user MSC Shipping.

On completion of the Phase V Development, Freeport will have a total quay length of 1,536 meters, a yard area of 63 hectares, an alongside depth of 15.5 meters, nine post panamax cranes and one super post panamax quay crane. The project will boost annual handling capacity by around 1 million containers.

The move comes as other Caribbean terminals, both new and existing, line up to compete for post-expansion traffic. Work on Phase V is due to commence this summer.