The Antigua Port Authority says its processing of containers for the first half of the
year is already better than for the first six months of 2022, and the trend indicates
that the port will establish a record in the number of containers it processes in a
single year by the end of December.
Port General Manager, Darwin Telemaque says the increase in the number of
containers processed is a clear indication that the private sector has rebounded
from the COVID-19-related declines, which are reflected in higher imports into the
country.
The figures for the period January to June 2023 show that the overall number of
containers processed was 956 compared to 868 for the same period in 2022. That is
88 more containers processed within the six-month period. A closer look at the
figures also showed increases in all sizes of containers imported into the country.
For 20-foot containers, the figure rose from 156 in 2022 to 174 in 2023; for 40-foot
containers, it rose from 710 to 761 and for 45-foot containers, it rose sharply from
2 in 2022 to 21 in 2023. The overall increase was nine percent in 2023 over 2022.
Telemaque disclosed that container traffic has been growing steadily since 2014
with 2019 established as a record year for Antigua and Barbuda. However, he
noted that since the end of 2021, as the country emerged out of the pandemic, there
has been a 41 percent increase in container traffic handled by the port.
“This demonstrates that the private sector is quite resilient, as the increased goods
imported into the country are signs of growth in the economy and further
indication that we are on track to better even our best previous year, 2019, by the
end of this year,” he declared.
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