Please be advised that in the last weeks, the tension in Haiti has been increasing greatly and turning very violent by the ongoing civil unrest situation, mainly due to the investitures of governments in the country this week and also due to the commemoration of the overthrown of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, who ran away to France many years ago, therefore, armed and antigovernment movements are setting protest claiming the resignation of the Prime Minister.
According to the information collected by our attending personnel in Haiti, the armed gangs have been taken advantage by committing isolated criminal activities, such as gunfire, robbery and kidnapping, leading to the ports/terminals to operate with limited personnel/staff, since the streets to access to the ports are blocked by the gangs and partially hinders the customs and ports’ workers, stevedores and pilots to attend their jobs, also impeding the trucks used for loading and discharging operations from accessing to the ports, resulting in delays and congestion.
As per the information collected by our attending personnel in Haiti, the following ports/terminals are operating, but limited:
APN
CPS
Varreux
Thor
Abraham
Cap Haïtien
Although these ports operate with restricted staff due to the current situation, it persists risk of stray bullets from the outside area of the ports, delay of operations due to limited personnel and the isolated criminal activities committed by armed street gangs as explained before.
Also, for safety reasons, it is recommended the vessel has the confirmation from the agents or the port authorities/pilot station that she will berth safely/properly and when she is docked at the port, that there will be discharging operations ongoing, although limited as previously advised.
Since the situation due to the internal tension in the country and the surrounding/outside/street area is not secure due to the criminal activities committed by the gangs, we recommend that the vessel stay vigilant and precautious, to maintain crewmembers inside the vessels and to apply the necessary measures for their safety, for instance, increasing the ISPS level. The Master and the crewmembers need to stay connected and updated with the agents regarding the security concerns and remain drift until it is confirmed by the port’s authorities that the situation is under control and secured.
Additionally, the terminal which the vessels should avoid is Martissant, in Port-au-Prince, due to the dangerous presence of armed gangs around the area, who frequently threaten with gunfire, robbery and commit other criminal activities.
For your reference, please find the following web-links with news on the situation in Haiti:
- https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/2/8/five-killed-in-clashes-with-police-as-protests-rock-haiti
We will be keeping following up on the situation to inform you accordingly.