Caribbean Shipping Services - Jamaica Shipping Agents

UNITED FREIGHT FORWARDRS
128 THIRD STREET
NEWPORT WEST,KINGSTON 13
JAMAICA W.I

Telephone:876-757-7138 / 758-8901

Email:unitedfreightf@gmail.com

Contact :Lorna Higgins,Manager

JAMAICA MONTEGO BAY
COMBINED FREIGHT FORWARDERS
PORTSVILLE CENTRE,
LOT HS CONONUT DRIVE ,FREEPORT
MONTEGO BAY ,ST JAMES
JAMAICA W.I

Telephone: 876-979-8179
Fax: 876-979-8433

Email: combfreight@yahoo.com

Contact: Althea Whyte,Manager

Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) mourns passing of Barton Kirkconnell
published: Tuesday | September 18, 2007

The Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) mourns the recent passing of one of our past managing committee members, Barton Kirkconnell, in England.

The managing committee, members and staff of the SAJ are saddened by this loss and wish to express our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Kirkconnell.

Barton was a dynamic member of the SAJ during his years in Jamaica and served on the managing committee of our 11th administration in the 1970s. He was a trailblazer in the development of Jamaica's shipping industry and his penchant for excellence helped to make the Port of Kingston what it is today - one of the world's finest.

In 1917, Barton Kirkconnell was born in Cayman Brac as a new member of a 'maritime family' of ship owners, shipping agents and ship captains. He came to Jamaica in his boyhood years to attend Munro College, and later worked as a salesman in the marketing department of Adolph Levy and Bros. before being invited by Ernest Johnston to join Jamaica Fruit & Shipping (JFS) in 1957.

50/50 partnership

It was while he was managing director of JFS in 1959, that Ernest Johnston, then president of the SAJ, proposed to the Kirkconnells that they form a 50/50 partnership to operate a shipping service from Miami.

JFS paid £7,000 and the Kirkconnells provided the MV Kirkdale on charter. The vessel took Jamaican cement to The Bahamas, then went to Miami where it loaded cargo for Jamaica, providing a fortnightly service.

The Kirkdale was later replaced by the MV Jamaica Provider, built by Sir Roland Symonette, which was renamed the MV Kirk Express, and the joint venture was registered as the Kirk Line, one of the major lines serving the Port of Kingston. In the 1970s, the Kirk Challenger joined the Kirk Express and by 1980 Kirk Line added the Miami-Montego Bay route to the busy Miami-Kingston route.

In 1976, Barton Kirkconnell and Ernest Johnston grasped the opportunity presented by Alcan's closure of Sprostons, to form Jamaica Freight and Shipping, a subsidiary of JFS, that would undertake operations as port and shipping agents for that bauxite company. It was in 1978, that Barton Kirkconnell passed the baton of JFS managing director to Charles Johnston, but he continued to oversee operations of Kirk Line until 1988 when the Kirkconnells sold their 50 per cent share to United States interests.

The SAJ is grateful for the invaluable contribution made by Barton Kirkconnell, as ship owner, manager and representative of our shipping industry. He was a man of both vision and action, and was instrumental in building and strengthening Jamaica's trade linkages with other countries of the Caribbean and beyond.

Under his management, Kirk Line became a major catalyst of growth for the Port of Kingston and the Port of Miami.

We also remember Barton as a devoted family man who was a loving husband to his wife Elaine, and an exemplary father to his two daughters - Gail and Lee. Gail became Jamaica's first female marketing representative for a shipping company during her tenure at JFS.

The SAJ gives thanks for the life of Barton Kirkconnell - a visionary who helped steer the course of Jamaica's shipping industry into the position of eminence it now occupies in international trade.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070918/lead/lead9.html

Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) again voted 'Best Multi-Purpose Terminal'
Tuesday | October 23, 2007

Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) again did Jamaica proud by being voted 'Best Multi-Purpose Terminal in the Caribbean' for the second consecutive year.

The prestigious award was accepted by Garth Kitson, general manager-operations at KWL, at the 37th annual general meeting, conference and exhibition of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) held in Santo Domingo last week. The award was made at the CSA's gala banquet at the Renaisssance Jaragua Hotel on October 17. SPRC CARTAGENA was named the 'best container terminal' at the function.

A strong 25-member delega-tion of Jamaicans was in the capital of the Dominican Republic, joining over 200 other delegates representing the Caribbean shipping industry during the October 15-17 conference.

A range of important topics and issues were presented and discussed at the CSA conference, including an update on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, which featured a presentation by Sacha Vaccianna, trade expert with the Shipping Association of Jamaica. Delegates also looked at 'Current Trends in Maritime Transport' and the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean; 'Ship Size and the Effects on Shipping in the Caribbean'; and 'Environmental Issues' critical to maintaining the pristine condition of the Caribbean Sea.

The conference was highlighted by a number of events and activities, including port tours and the election of president and vice-president for the ensuing year. Fernando Rivera of Puerto Rico was returned as CSA president

Last Updated Friday, July 18 2008 @ 09:58 AM GMT+5