Port Lafito Fact Sheet
GB GROUP
GB Group is one of the leading private industrial and trading groups in the Caribbean founded by Mr. Gilbert Bigio in 1972.
- GB Group is involved in several business sectors including agriculture, construction, energy, infrastructure development, consumer products, logistics and trading.
- GB Group is the first multinational group originating in Haiti and operating in eight countries and seven industries, with over 4,000 employees.
- GB Group is the lead investor and developer in Port Lafito.
OVERVIEW
Port Lafito is the centerpiece of the Lafito Global integrated economic zone and Haiti’s first Panamax port. It is a full-service multi-purpose port facility that will cater to bulk and loose cargo imports, as well as provide port and terminal services to worldwide container service shipping lines with state of the art equipment and software.
Located 20 kilometers north of Port-au-Prince in the town of Lafiteau, Port Lafito is the deepest and largest port in Haiti, offering 12.5 meters of safe draft and 450 meters of berth in
the first phase.
- Port Lafito’s location connects it to direct weekly calls by major international carriers both to and from regional worldwide hubs and U.S. ports, providing easy access to Central and South American destinations and the rest of the world.
- The Port Lafito terminal will stand at 130,000 square meters and provide 450 meters of berth (900 in phase 2) for offloading and loading operations.
- State of the art Liebherr cranes, new terminal container handlers, vessel mooring/unmooring services and refrigerated container assistance will serve ships unloading cargo.
- The Port will create a secure, efficient and environmentally friendly facility that will differentiate it from others in Haiti
- Port Lafito will be able to service clients requiring break bulk port facilities making this a unique advantage in the trade.
- Clients will include major relief agencies as well as renowned institutions.
- Liebherr, Port Lafito’s chosen mobile harbor crane supplier, has established a comprehensive training program complete with a virtual simulator to ensure highly qualified operators and the highest possible levels of productivity. The simulator is housed in Miami, FL at Liebherr’s facilities.
IMPACT
Port Lafito will actively contribute to the growing economy in Haiti:
- Port Lafito is expected to have a significant impact on the national economy of Haiti benefiting the more than 10 million people that live in the area.
- Port Lafito has invested more than 10,000 hours into training local workers to create skilled labor and jobs in welding, construction and equipment operation, among others.
INVESTORS
- Banque Nationale de Credit
- Capital Bank
- FDI – Industrial Development Fund
- FMO – Entrepreneurial Development Bank
- Haitian Government
- IFC – International Finance Corporation
- NASSA – Nationale D’ Assurance S.A.
SERVICES
Port Lafito will offer a range of top tier services to international companies including:
- Port services management provided by SSA Marine.
- Terminal Handling Services.
- Tideworks Technology® software used by over 50,000 logistics professionals around the world.
- Reefer Services (78 plugs in the port and 48 off dock).
- Drayage
- Consolidation and Deconsolidation Warehouse
- Wireless technology provided by Edgewater Technologies allowing use of handheld wireless devices and real time container tracking.
- Convenient inland terminal in Port-au-Prince.