Customer with 31 barrels caused pile-up

The recent problems experienced at the Port-of-Spain port resulted from one person attempting  to clear 31 barrels at Customs on Tuesday. Customer Service Manager Vilma Lewis-Cockburn admitted that while people were searching for goods expected since December, most of Tuesday’s confusion was caused by people fighting to clear their barrels. “This person with 31 barrels made an appointment in December to collect her goods on Tuesday. As a result, people waiting with one or two barrels became frustrated waiting in the line,” said Cockburn.

The delay in clearing barrels has been linked to Hurricane Ivan, which caused considerable damage in the other islands and goods were unable to leave the port. Cockburn said Christmas was also a peak time which added to the backlog. “In November we had a steady flow of goods and hardly anything in December. So everything that was scheduled to arrive in December, is now arriving this month,” said Cockburn. Yesterday, the situation at the port had cleared up, as there were only a few barrels waiting to be collected.