Riots in Haiti close Port-au-Prince, Maersk halts bookings in the country
The land route to a key supply port in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is being closed after an attack by armed gangs, leaving the port unable to operate normally, the Caribbean Port Services (CPS) said on Thursday.
The crime syndicates continued their attacks last week while the prime minister was out of the country, first attacking two prisons and causing most prisoners to escape.
All land transportation and related services in and out of Port-au-Prince will be temporarily suspended from the 26th to the 29th of this month, CCTV News reported. The statement said that the move will also help the Haitian government and military and police forces carry out security operations against illegal armed groups in the region.
There are a number of important ports along the Caribbean coast of Haiti, of which the capital Port-au-Prince is the largest and most important seaport in the country, and the most important transportation channel for goods and materials in and out of Haiti.
According to local media reports, a cargo ship near Port-au-Prince was recently attacked by illegal armed men, causing the ship to be unable to dock and load containers, and two Filipino crew members on board were kidnapped.
On September 27, Maersk's official website issued an important announcement that in view of the extreme instability of the current social situation in Haiti and the normal operation of the terminal, the company's terminal management department decided to immediately stop accepting any booking services to and from Haiti to prevent the cargo from piling up in the transit terminal until further notice.
Maersk stressed that pick-up of confirmed but unallocated containers will be suspended until further notice to avoid further costs or losses to customers and Maersk. For goods currently in transit, they will remain at the current port. Maersk is monitoring the situation closely and will keep customers updated on developments.
The crime syndicates continued their attacks last week while the prime minister was out of the country, first attacking two prisons and causing most prisoners to escape.
All land transportation and related services in and out of Port-au-Prince will be temporarily suspended from the 26th to the 29th of this month, CCTV News reported. The statement said that the move will also help the Haitian government and military and police forces carry out security operations against illegal armed groups in the region.
There are a number of important ports along the Caribbean coast of Haiti, of which the capital Port-au-Prince is the largest and most important seaport in the country, and the most important transportation channel for goods and materials in and out of Haiti.
According to local media reports, a cargo ship near Port-au-Prince was recently attacked by illegal armed men, causing the ship to be unable to dock and load containers, and two Filipino crew members on board were kidnapped.
On September 27, Maersk's official website issued an important announcement that in view of the extreme instability of the current social situation in Haiti and the normal operation of the terminal, the company's terminal management department decided to immediately stop accepting any booking services to and from Haiti to prevent the cargo from piling up in the transit terminal until further notice.
Maersk stressed that pick-up of confirmed but unallocated containers will be suspended until further notice to avoid further costs or losses to customers and Maersk. For goods currently in transit, they will remain at the current port. Maersk is monitoring the situation closely and will keep customers updated on developments.
