Mounting customs delays and operational backlogs at Bridgetown Port and the Grantley Adams International Airport have sparked alarm among shipping and courier operators, who warned that unless the government steps in urgently, Barbados risks a breakdown in the movement of Christmas imports.
Several prominent figures in the shipping and courier industry, who requested anonymity, wrote Barbados TODAY to raise the alarm, insisting that the situation has deteriorated beyond the normal pressures associated with December trade.
They said: “This Christmas season, those of us in the shipping and courier industry expected the usual challenges: busy flights, some overbooking and the typical delays towards the end of December. Instead, we are facing a situation many times worse than anything in recent years and Barbadians who rely on overseas shopping for Christmas are the ones who will ultimately pay the price.”
They explained that the entire industry plans months ahead by increasing staff, extending working hours and investing in storage to prepare for the seasonal rush, but “a combination of operational changes and capacity issues has made it nearly impossible to deliver on those expectations, no matter how hard we work.”
Customs ‘shift’
According to the shippers, the most severe disruption stems from what they described as a “clear shift in Customs operations,” which they say now results in almost all incoming cargo being manually examined.
“We fully accept that Customs has the right to examine goods entering the country as security, safety and revenue protection are non-negotiable, and we are not asking for any relaxation of those responsibilities,” the shippers said. “What we do not understand is the purpose of the Customs scanners if, in practice, almost every single package is being manually opened anyway.”
They stressed that while very small shipments may withstand the delays, larger operators receiving 2 000 to 3 000 parcels on a single flight are now facing an impossible workload.
“When every box has to be opened and re-sealed by hand and when there are hundreds of trolleys and pallets waiting behind them, the backlog grows. Many of us now have cargo sitting for days and the pile-up is becoming insurmountable.”
The consequences, they said, have been dire, with the warehouse at the airport “overflowing with cargo that cannot be delivered,” staff working long hours under “immense pressure,” and companies incurring storage and handling fees on freight they cannot move.
“We have reached the point where we genuinely do not know what we will tell our customers for Christmas.”
The shipping firms argued that thousands of Barbadians who rely on shipping companies for gifts, household items and essential goods are now at risk of major disruption, while small businesses that depend on imported stock during the peak retail season stand to lose critical income.
“Yet we, the intermediaries, are the ones who will face the anger and frustration when parcels are not cleared, even though the root causes are far beyond our control,” they said.
‘Every single package ‘opened’
The shippers questioned whether the standard operating procedures set out by Customs were being applied consistently, arguing that it “should not be necessary to physically open and inspect every single package from every shipper.”
They said it was difficult to understand why “a small bag of clothing or a household item from a regular customer with a long history of compliant shipments is subjected to the exact same level of scrutiny as a high-risk consignment.”
To date, many operators have received no official communication from Customs explaining the changes being implemented, whether they are temporary or permanent, or what adjustments may be considered during the peak period, they claimed.
“We are operating in the dark, trying to manage customer expectations, adjust our own operations and make business decisions with almost no information. It feels as though those most directly affected — the ones dealing with the public day in, day out — have been left out of the conversation entirely.”
Warning that the ripple effects extend far beyond the freight sector, they pointed to consequences for families expecting Christmas gifts, relatives abroad sending barrels and boxes, and individuals who shopped early to manage household budgets.
“Small businesses that rely on imported stock, parts and packaging to trade during the busiest retail period of the year, stand to lose revenue they will never regain if their goods do not arrive,” they stressed.
They cautioned that prolonged uncertainty could also erode confidence in the island’s supply chains.
“Barbados has long marketed itself as a stable, well-run jurisdiction, but if basic logistics become unpredictable, people will start to question whether they can rely on the system and may shift their shopping or shipping habits elsewhere.”
‘Emotional toll’
They also claimed that the emotional toll across the industry was also growing. “We are the ones facing the calls, messages and in-person confrontations from frustrated customers, many of whom believe, understandably but incorrectly, that we are to blame.”
“Our staff are bearing the brunt of anger for decisions over which they have no control,” they said, adding that without immediate and practical solutions, “ordinary Barbadians, the very people the system is supposed to serve,” would face empty hands, late gifts and unnecessary stress during the holidays.
The shipping firms made a plea to the authorities: “We are urgently and respectfully asking the relevant authorities to intervene and work with us to find immediate, practical solutions. Barbadians deserve better than a Christmas marked by empty promises and undelivered packages.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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