Above: Port Lafito

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

A major new port is now operational in Haiti.

Port Lafito, the brainchild of the GB Group, is the country’s first Panamax Port. It was inaugurated in a ceremony last Thursday.

It is located about five minutes from Port-au-Prince International Airport.

“Port Lafito will breathe new life into Haiti by creating new jobs, training for skilled labor, and encouraging foreign investment and development. This project will make a significant impact on the national economy and have a beneficial impact on the more than 10 million people that live here,” said Reuven Bigio, CEO of GB Group. “We are proud to announce that the day has come where we can help bring Haiti to the forefront of modern logistics.”

The multimillion-dollar project was the effort of a private, public and international partnership between the Haitian government, the Haitian private sector, and international financial institutions.

Representatives from all parties came together for the inauguration event, and also established an International Sister Seaport agreement between Port Lafito and PortMiami to foster collaboration on the exchange of information and ideas, with the intent to boost cargo and trade between the ports.

Above: the inauguration ceremony last week

Port Lafito has partnered with SSA Marine – the world’s largest privately-held independent marine terminal operator – to oversee its operations, and installed two Liebherr LHM 420 mobile harbor cranes, the first of their kind in the region.

The port represents progress toward the larger development of Lafito Global, an economic zone that will include the international port and terminal, an industrial free zone, a business park, and more.

The zone’s development is projected to drive the creation of over 25,000 new jobs in Haiti, support a new dynamic social center, improve regional logistics, and become an industrial hub for the Caribbean.