Höegh Pacific Makes Maiden Voyage and Call to Jamaica

The newly purpose-built 2,450 CEU Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) will carry out dedicated short sea service within the Caribbean and Central America.

Simone Murdock, Corporate Services and Client Experience Manager at Kingston Wharves called the occasion, “a great honour and privilege for Kingston Wharves, the Port of Kingston, Jamaica and the Caribbean and Central America region”. 

The maiden call from the Höegh Pacific today, and last year by the world’s largest eco-friendly vessel the Höegh Aurora, reinforce Jamaica’s position as a strategic auto logistics and transhipment gateway for Höegh. 

“Consider the fact that Höegh is one of the world’s leading autoliners, with over 3000 calls to global ports annually. Yet they chose the Caribbean, Jamaica and Kingston Wharves for the maiden voyage, maiden call and hub port for this new vessel,” Mrs. Murdock stated.

Mrs. Murdock noted that KWL continued to make significant investment in auto logistics and transhipment capacity in line with the critical importance of the auto transhipment business segment to the company. This included expanding both its on-dock and off-dock footprint, covering purpose-built facilities, value-added services, infrastructure and customer-focused maritime solutions, she said. 

Noting that the company was currently in talks with the government to expand its motor vehicle operations at Tinson Pen, Mrs. Murdock stated, “This business segment (with the planned Tinson Pen expansion) can grow to over 500,000 motor moves and facilitate additional employment of some 200 persons within the next two years.     

“We are confident that the government shares our views that our motor vehicle operations advances the national goals to establish Jamaica as a premier logistics hub for diversified cargo types,” Mrs. Murdock said.

Jose Tello, Trade Planner – Short Sea Americas for Höegh Autoliners said that the deployment of the Höegh Pacific was an exciting milestone for the company, adding that, “the Höegh Pacific is a symbol of what moved the company forward—accuracy in every detail, reliability when it matters most and the drive to consistently raise the bar.”

Mr. Tello underscored that Höegh’s investment in a dedicated regional vessel reflected the company’s long term commitment to the region, helping to build a more resilient, competitive and collaborative carrier.  “We are extremely proud to strengthen our commitment to the region that remains a vital life-line to its communities. We firmly believe in the Caribbean’s potential for growth, innovation and enhanced connectivity,” Mr. Tello stated. 

Thanking his customers and partners, Mr. Tello declared, “We are here for the long-term; we are steadfast in our commitment to further elevate our service, operational excellence and value.”

Chief Operating Officer of International Shipping Shara-Kay Kinlocke in her remarks expressed her company’s pride to represent Höegh Autoliners in Kingston, recalling when the Port of Kingston welcomed the first Höegh over 16 years ago. “It is truly remarkable to see how much the transhipment market has grown since then. So much that it has necessitated the (deployment of the) Höegh Pacific, this vessel that is dedicated to this region with improved features and capacity,” Ms. Kinlocke observed.

She expressed confidence that the new addition to the Höegh fleet would improve service delivery throughout the region.  

A team from Kingston Wharves, the Höegh, International Shipping, and media representatives toured the Höegh Pacific, where Simone Murdock and Shara-kay Kinlocke each presented commemorative plaques to the ship’s Captain, Wu Yi Min.