The five-year delay in fully commissioning Haiti’s TVB Port-au-Prince Terminal, a US$60 million international-standard port facility, is a critical warning for the entire island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), underscoring how anti-competitive practices and government inaction in one nation can undermine the shared goal of creating strong, cost-effective, and resilient logistics and cargo chains vital for regional and island economic growth and attracting foreign direct investment.
The high maritime costs in Haiti especially affect low-income consumers in Haiti yet the impact is felt on the entire island as Haitians migrate to the Dominican Republic seeking lower cost of living. Increased competition from a fully operational TVB is seen as a way to drive down costs in Haiti, benefiting consumers and motivating new investments on both sides of the island of Hispaniola.
The long-time Achilles heel of Haiti seems not to be just gang violence, but rather its mega business groups that do not like to compete and the reticence of government in Haiti to act as a fair facilitator.
TVB Port-au-Prince Terminal modern infrastructure is ready for container cargo. Company spokesman David Ware says port operations have stagnated because the Haitian government has refused to send Customs agents. Powerful business interests are suspect to be behind the stalled cargo operations.
TVB Port-au-Prince Terminal is no small terminal. The Haitian business group led by the Haitian Mevs family’s Port Varreux bulk fuel terminal and a general cargo port partnered with AGL/Tevasa and developed the US$60 million terminal to meet container international standards. Vinci Construction Maritime was contracted to ensure the quay on 4 rows of piles 160m long and 26 m deep and platform met the seismic standards.
Despite the colossal investment, the Port Varreux Terminal is still waiting for authorization from the Haitian government to fully begin its container reception operations.
Le Nouvelliste is reporting on the remarks made by David Ware, AGL’s representative on the program Panel Magik on 4 November 2025. Ware denounced the situation that has been going on for years.
“It’s been ten years since we created the company and five years since everything has been ready. We are still waiting for customs officers to receive the containers,” he lamented. According to him, this administrative blockage prevents the launch of a modern port terminal, built to international standards to accommodate large vessels and withstand natural disasters. “We were invited by the government to invest, but when it comes time to operate, cooperation falls apart. It’s frustrating,” Ware added.
AGL is a subsidiary of MSC, one of the largest shipping lines in the world, present in about 50 countries and operating in roughly 20 international ports. In Haiti, the company aims to boost the national logistics chain—an essential component in a country where more than 80% of consumed goods are imported, representing a value exceeding three billion dollars in the last fiscal year.
Ready but unused infrastructure
AGL’s facilities include major equipment, some dedicated to bulk goods and others to containers. There are parking areas capable of holding over 3,000 containers and more than forty refrigerated storage units. According to Ware, the terminal could handle up to 5,000 containers per month, depending on the rate at which goods are cleared.
“We’re ready, but we can’t keep throwing money into a black hole. We’re repaying our debts without being able to generate revenue,” he explained, referring to loans contracted from two financial institutions. Since then, about a hundred letters have been sent—most to the Ministry of Economy and Finance—without any clear response on the remaining steps before final authorization. Ware cited several possible causes: protectionism, existing monopolies, or fears of new competition in a long-protected sector.
Ware says it is fully in Haiti’s interest that the terminal start container service. Its activation would create direct and indirect jobs, lower logistics costs for local businesses, and increase the country’s port competitiveness. In turn, this dynamic would boost customs revenues and allow better control of trade flows. “Ports are the economic lungs of a country. Almost all international trade passes through them,” Ware emphasizes.
The AGL representative called for stronger government support to attract and retain international investors. According to him, Haiti must provide a conducive, transparent, and predictable environment if it wishes to compete with other Caribbean ports. “It’s sad that companies are invited to invest, only to be left on their own when it’s time to operate. The money cannot come only from local actors,” he stressed, while expressing hope that discussions with the authorities will soon resume.
He called for the Haitian state to play a facilitating role. It is responsible for providing rapid and transparent administrative support, while guaranteeing a fair and competitive business environment. This is essential to reassure investors and promote Haiti’s integration into regional trade, he argues.
Ware says it is vital that the Haitian government demonstrate its openness to private and international investment. He stresses that collaboration with world-renowned players such as AGL and MSC represents an exceptional opportunity to enhance the country’s image and boost its economic development.
The strong port sector is vital for efforts to realize the dream of a free trade manufacturing zones and logistics corridor at key ports along the Windward Passage that connects the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, capable of attracting foreign direct investment, boosting manufacturing and re-export industries, and facilitating regional trade to position Haiti as a competitive logistics hub in the region, as highlighted in a feature in Haiti Policy House.
In Haiti, the three main ports are privately operated. In addition to TVB, the other two major Port au Prince ports are the primary container port operator, Caribbean Port Services (CPS). Its rivals denounce a virtual de facto monopoly on the public port. As reported in Ayibo Post, a controversial contract signed by the director of the National Port Authority (APN) with this private company, chaired by Philippe Coles and Édouard Baussan, that cemented their dominant position at the country’s main international public port potentially until 2059.
The other port in Port-au-Prince is the Lafiteau Port Terminal (Port Lafito), a private container terminal that is majority owned and operated by the Gilbert Bigio Group.
The current president of the Haitian Transition Council is businessman Laurent Saint-Cyr. On 7 August 2025, he became the fourth leader of the rotating presidency of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council in just 15 months.
A report in Haitian Times mentions that outgoing Transition Council president Fritz-Alphonse Jean had accused Laurent Saint-Cyr and Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime of enabling a private sector takeover of the Executive Branch. In a fiery 5 August interview, Jean said the business class has played a key role in fueling gang violence and trafficking.
Saint-Cyr is the final head of the Transition Council before its mandate concludes and elections are scheduled to be held by February 2026. But the elections are unlikely on that date, there is no confirmed alternate timeline. It is not known whether Saint Cyr will continue indefinitely. The primary goal of the Council is to restore security and political stability in the country amidst ongoing gang violence.
Read more:
Le Nouvelliste
Le Nouvelliste
Vinci Construction Maritime
Ayibo Post
Haitian Times
Haiti News
Project Cargo
Wikipedia
Log Cluster
Log Cluster
North Standard
Haiti Policy House
11 November 2025