Seaboard Resumes Regular Haiti Service

Seaboard Marine resumed vessel calls at Haiti on Wednesday, restoring liner service following the massive earthquake on Jan. 12.

Seaboard, which specializes in ocean shipments between the U.S. and the Caribbean, said the Seaboard Sun, a roll-on, roll-off vessel with a deadweight capacity of 7,748 tons, docked Wednesday morning at Lafiteau and is currently in the process of discharging relief cargoes.

Lafiteau is less than ten miles from Port-au-Prince and has clear roads to the main part of the city. Seaboard said its local personnel have been repairing the wharf and facilities at Lafiteau and will continue to do so after the departure of the Seaboard Sun later Wednesday.

Although the Seaboard Sun can carry all types of rolling cargoes, Seaboard said the vessel’s initial cargo loads will be solely restricted to humanitarian goods and infrastructure relief projects routed through major international relief entities and U.S. government agencies.

The Seaboard Sun utilizes a specialized ramp to discharge cargoes. In order to maximize its vessel calls into Lafiteau, the ship will shuttle back and forth between Kingston, Jamaica and Lafiteau.

Seaboard Marine has two vessel calls per week from Miami to Kingston and also weekly calls to Kingston from Brooklyn and Fernandina Beach. Cargoes will be relayed over Kingston on to the Seaboard Sun which will provide an all-water service to Port-au-Prince.

Cargoes were loaded on the Seaboard Sun in Kingston on Jan. 25 for the voyage that called Wednesday morning at Lafiteau. After departing Lafiteau later Wednesday, the Seaboard Sun will return to Kingston for loading and call again on Lafiteau on Jan. 30.

Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.