King Ocean Promotes Fort Lauderdale to Trinidad Service

- King Ocean Services, a company with over 40 years of experience, operates a varied fleet capable of handling dry cargo, refrigerated goods, and project shipments using 20-foot, 40-foot, and 45-foot containers, as well as specialized equipment like reefers and flat-racks. - Port Everglades, the departure port, is a major hub for Caribbean trade, handling a record 1.17 million TEUs in Fiscal Year 2025. There are over $3 billion in long-term capital investments planned to support future capacity and efficiency. - The destination, Point Lisas, is Trinidad's second-largest port, located 32 kilometers south of Port of Spain. It operates 24/7 with six commercial berths and has an annual container capacity of approximately 240,000 TEUs. - This direct service helps address a key regional challenge, as maritime transport costs in the Caribbean can be nearly double the global average. High costs and logistical inefficiencies have kept intra-regional trade low, with only 13.9% of CARICOM's total exports being traded within the bloc. - King Ocean offers fixed-day weekly sailings from Port Everglades to more than 15 destinations throughout the Eastern Caribbean, presenting potential for broader regional distribution strategies beyond Trinidad. - The carrier is a certified participant in the U.S. C-TPAT program (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism), which can facilitate a higher level of security and potentially smoother processing for shipments. - Caribbean shipping often contends with structural trade imbalances, where ships travel southbound with full loads but have a higher percentage of empty containers on the northbound return trip, increasing overall logistics costs.