Kingston Wharves extends hours for peak season

As is customary, Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) will extend opening hours to facilitate cargo delivery during the Christmas season. The festive period is considered one of the peak seasons in the shipping industry, when cargo volumes usually increase significantly, sometimes by as much as four times the volumes over non-peak periods. This major rise in cargo volumes can come with longer-than-usual wait times, primarily due to the sheer number of persons visiting the port to pick up their cargo.

Beginning November 11 through to December 21, KWL will extend opening hours for the receival and delivery of full container loads to facilitate the delivery of cargo. Opening hours will extend by two hours, running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for containers, motor vehicles and other cargo types vehicles delivered from the main port terminal and the Global Auto Logistic Centre (GALC) at Tinson Pen.

To facilitate its consolidator clients offering door-to-door service, opening hours will be extended up to 8 p.m., and clients will be facilitated up to 10 a.m., if volumes demand it. Commercial full container loads will be done by appointment.

KWL has also instituted its annual Saturday opening hours. KWL warehouses will open to the public on Saturday, December 14 and 21; the warehouses terminal will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This includes our facilities located at the Total Logistics Facility, 195 Second Street, as well as Kingport Warehouse Complex at 45–57 Second Street, Newport West.

On Saturday, December 14, the GALC will be open to deliver motor vehicles. Appointments for Saturday delivery at the GALC, are to be made as customary, via the KWL website, by 5 p.m. on the day prior.

Players in the cargo clearance process

The cargo-clearance process, is a multilayered one involving a number of agencies which must work in tandem to ensure the process flows smoothly.

On the port of Kingston, the players involved in cargo delivery and clearance include freight forwarders who manage the shipment of the cargo and provide documentation for their customers to facilitate the cargo clearance process; port terminal and warehouse operators, such as KWL, that receive, store and facilitate physical delivery of the cargo; and the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) that facilitates the scanning of containers and its contents on arrival and prior to the unloading of the barrels and other shipments for individual cargo owners. A ey player, Jamaica Customs that examines individual cargo in the presence of the customers when they arrive to clear, in order to collect revenue in the form of duty charges on behalf of the Government of Jamaica, authorise the cargo release and safeguard against contraband shipment.

KWL established its Total Logistics Facility (TLF) as a one-stop shop for cargo clearance, combining its administration, a customer service hall, commercial centre and warehousing. The TLF also houses Jamaica Customs offices, provides facilities for scanning by the PAJ, and provides rental spaces for freight-forwarding companies. A 200-capacity parking lot is among the amenities for customers and others who use the facility.