Jamaica – Economic diplomacy – Awarding of Kingston container terminal concession to CMA-CGM (April 8, 2015)

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On April 7, the French shipbuilder Compagnie maritime d’affrètement-Compagnie générale maritime (CMA-CGM) signed a 30-year concession for the Kingston container terminal. Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller attended the signing ceremony with the President’s personal representative for Latin American and the Caribbean, Jean-Pierre Bel.

The awarding of the concession reflects the strengthening of ties between our two countries since the meeting, last June 16, between Laurent Fabius and his Jamaican counterpart, Arnold Nicholson. That was the first meeting between French and Jamaican foreign ministers since Jamaica gained its independence in 1962.

Valued at nearly 600 million euros, this initiative aims to make Kingston one of the Caribbean’s five main ports. It is the largest investment project by a French company in the region, and its location will be particularly strategic with the Panama Canal expansion slated for 2016.