Port Au Prince port facilities

**seadawg** · January 14th, 2010, 01:52 AM

this doesn't look too good for shipping "relief" in!!

believe this may be the only container dock this country has??

http://www.joc.com/node/415968

**trekleader** · January 14th, 2010, 02:36 AM

Cap Haitian, in the north, has a commercial port. I used to go down there and watch the tramps come in. They would ship bales of used clothes, what seemed to me to be random assortments of used appliances and junk, and PILES of bikes, supposedly stolen from Miami. They'd auction them right off the side of the vessel to the throng on the dock. I got a nice Cannondale that way.

From Cap Haitian, to Port-au-Prince there's basically one so-so road that takes all day to reach the capitol. I wonder if its still complete. Probably not. There's a road through the interior, through a town called Hinche, but thats barely passable in the best conditions.

Smaller docks do exist, but they're not big commercial docks. They mostly exist for the local coastal traders, fishermen and smugglers to tie up to and load.

**seadawg** · January 14th, 2010, 07:41 AM

received an "inquiry" last night..looking at the present situation from a logistical standpoint..I have never been into Cap-Haitien..don't believe the potential of the port at Cap-Haitien to handle containers and then truck overland to Port au Prince is viable..recommended that tugs and barges initially be utilized in Port au Prince directly..may be flying down soon??

**would think there should be a surplus of idle tugs, barges and cranes available??

**cmakin** · January 14th, 2010, 11:02 AM

When I worked for Crowley, we would come in with the trailer barges and ballast the main deck down to the dock level and get the trailers off. No ramps for the upper two decks, though. I don't know if they still tow the barges down there. The container crane looks to be right where we would dock.

**seadawg** · January 14th, 2010, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by cmakin

When I worked for Crowley, we would come in with the trailer barges and ballast the main deck down to the dock level and get the trailers off. No ramps for the upper two decks, though. I don't know if they still tow the barges down there. The container crane looks to be right where we would dock.

*the old "1by4 double deckers" were ramped..wonder if any of them are still arround??

*rumor is Crowley is "all over" this and will be involved in the 2nd stage of the relief effort if not sooner!!

*as far as the container dock..comparing the latest picture to goggle earth..the entire wharf appears to be gone as well as both cranes are in the water..that dock is "toast" for the immediate future..an alternate dock will be needed to facilitate offloading of containers..from what I have been able to see the port doesn't appear to be "ship friendly"..concluded that "stage 2" should initially begin as a tug and barge operation!!

**Tiffany** · January 14th, 2010, 12:03 PM

I have posted in another thread looking for a boat.

I am still waiting to get feedback on the current condition. There is secured fencing around the port and a large, level area (or at least was level pre-quake) to offload supplies. The roads are likely more passable in the area as there are not as many large buildings as PAP. This would probably not be suitable for PAP deliveries, but would be suitable for the surrounding area which is cut off from PAP and near the epicenter.

Here are photos of the dock in Jacmel *before* the quake.

**cmakin** · January 14th, 2010, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by seadawg

*the old "1by4 double deckers" were ramped..wonder if any of them are still arround??

*rumor is Crowley is "all over" this and will be involved in the 2nd stage of the relief effort if not sooner!!

*as far as the container dock..comparing the latest picture to goggle earth..the entire wharf appears to be gone as well as both cranes are in the water..that dock is "toast" for the immediate future..an alternate dock will be needed to facilitate offloading of containers..from what I have been able to see the port doesn't appear to be "ship friendly"..concluded that "stage 2" should initially begin as a tug and barge operation!!

I don't know if the ramped barges are around. It has been more than 20 years since I sailed for them. That said, I would imagine that Crowley would all over it. Their Caribbean operations have increased with the RO/RO ships probably carrying more than the barges ever did.

Oh, and nice picture of the old Mini Liner above. I remember those well from my ABS days. Most are gone, I believe.

**Tiffany** · January 15th, 2010, 04:48 AM

***Update: the dock in Jacmel appears to be able to accept boat(s). It has not been evaluated by a structural engineer, visual inspection only.

**captfish** · January 15th, 2010, 06:15 AM

Not sure about the Caribbean, but there seem to be lots of ramp barges still working around here in the NW...in fact there is one tied up here in Bellingham right now. I don't understand why all the talk about container facilities? Sounds like what they need down there are barges and landing craft. Smaller container ships with onboard cranes are very common. Why not anchor such a ship in the harbor, and then bring landing craft and/or barges alongside to offload the cargo and then take it to the beach?