Jamaica welcomes Pier 17

Pier 17 Jamaica, a new member of the Shipping Association of Jamaica, started operations in May 2020, offering to freight forwarders exclusive ‘less than container load’ (LCL) services as a neutral consolidator, with regional inter-connections for import and export to the rest of the world.

Pier 17 Group

Although new to Jamaica, the Pier 17 Group has a history, starting in 1995 in Brazil, as a maritime consolidator leader before moving its head office to Panama in 2008. Pier 17 Jamaica, located at 5 First Street, Newport West, is the group’s newest office in a network that covers Central America and the Caribbean. The group has 17 offices in 14 countries, 275 employees, and more than 170 own LCL services. It operates from 11 hubs in the world to reach more than 800 origins/destinations.

Neutral Consolidator

As a neutral consolidator, Pier 17 Jamaica serves freight forwarders and brokers and is not in competition with them. As a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC), the company negotiates as wholesalers the best rates with shipping lines from all over the world. The company passes on the reduced costs to freight forwarders and brokers who, in turn, can pass on the savings to their customers.

The Pier 17 Group’s website attributes the success of their operations to the “competence of its human resources as well as the continuous innovation in terms of direct traffics, sailing frequencies, and information technology”. The company prides itself on “striving to integrate values such as quality, responsibility, productivity, passion, and discipline.”

Regional Mission

The incorporation of Pier 17 Jamaica marks a major milestone in the pursuit of the Pier 17 Group’s mission of “offering to clients and strategic partners the best solutions for consolidated cargo, multimodal transport, and trans-shipment hubs to fully cover the Central America and Caribbean markets in the most efficient way with the highest standards of quality, professionalism, and innovation”.

With regard to innovation, Pier 17 Jamaica offers customer-friendly online support that includes booking, tracking, and export-scheduling webtools. In the ‘new normal’ of business, such online facilities will prove vital in customer service.

Regional and Global Network

In keeping with its corporate vision “to integrate our region and connect it to the world”, Pier 17 initiated a financial, operational, and commercial strategic alliance with MSL Corporate, the neutral NVOCC leader in South America. The company is a member of the Icargo Alliance of NVOCCs, offering global coverage of neutral international freight services.