10 October 2015 - Business View Caribbean
Opening
Lines
Logistic Hub Crucial To Growth
Positioning Jamaica as the fourth node in the global
logistics chain is not a choice but an imperative if
this tiny island nation is to have any chance of sur-
viving this inhospitable global trading system. Ja-
maica’s competitive advantage rests in its location,
a very powerful selling point in international trade.
The country is an important gateway to the Western
Hemisphere with almost one billion persons.
Importantly, it has the capacity for expansion of its
port facilities, especially its harbor, when compared
with Miami, which cannot engage in further dredg-
ing of its harbor to accommodate larger vessels.
International trade is moving swiftly from North
to South and East to West, and logistics will be at
the heart of this rapidly evolving system. It, there-
fore, means that countries with superior locational
advantages should position themselves to be the
gateways into markets that are remote and have un-
tapped potential.
Singapore, in the 1960s, took advantage of its lo-
