model to meet changing conditions while building a platform for long-term growth. Julian Sammy, Shipco’s Director of Sales, Caribbean, explains that Shipco’s role remains clear and consistent. The company provides import and export services to Trinidad and the wider region, serving freight forwarders rather than going direct to their customers. That neutrality is a cornerstone of Shipco’s value proposition, reinforcing trust in an industry where relationships and reliability matter as much as price and transit time. Headquartered in New Jersey, Shipco is a subsidiary of Denmark-based Scan-Group. With more than 90 offices in over 30 countries, Shipco operates within a global network, combining international scale with local execution. SUPPLY CHAIN CONDITIONS: IMPROVEMENT, BUT STILL VULNERABLE On the supply chain front, Shipco is seeing some stabilization, but Julian describes the environment as still vulnerable and easily disrupted by global and regional events. Geopolitical tensions, trade policy shifts, and earlier challenges such as Panama Canal constraints have all contributed to fluctuations in freight pricing and schedule reliability. In practical terms, those disruptions affect not just transportation providers, but also the landed cost of goods for customers—especially in import-dependent economies. In Trinidad and Tobago, the impact is shaped by operational realities on the ground. Julian notes that port congestion remains a challenge at times, influenced by limited resources such as cranes and throughput capacity, alongside labor dynamics that can affect efficiency. As a smaller island market, Trinidad must operate within those constraints, though Shipco is seeing improvement compared to prior periods. The company is also monitoring broader container availability issues that have created shortages worldwide. With high-volume trade flows and inland container turnaround delays in major markets, equipment positioning has become a continuing challenge, adding another layer of complexity to regional shipping. GROWTH THROUGH NEW TRADE LANES AND DEEPER REGIONAL INSIGHT Despite these headwinds, Shipco’s Caribbean operation is seeing year-over-year growth, driven by increased awareness among freight forwarders of the services available and the reliability of Shipco’s model. Sammy notes that staffing levels have remained steady while business volume has increased, supported by operational discipline and technology-enabled efficiency. 59 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 13, ISSUE 01 SHIPCO TRANSPORT LTD.
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