Barbados Port, Inc., recently joined the Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) of Panama in an international sister seaport agreement during a Panama Day celebration on August 6 in Bridgetown.

The agreement was signed by Barbados Port Chairman David Harding and CEO David Jean-Marie and MIT Senior Vice President Carlos Urriola and General Manager Stacy Hatfield.

The agreement recognizes the contribution of the tens of thousands of Barbadians who left the Careenage in Bridgetown to work on the construction of the original Panama Canal.

Among other things, the ports agreed to: 

• The free and uninhibited exchange of information pertaining to their cargo and cruise industries.
• Promote mutually beneficial commercial opportunities.
• Exchange cultural and historical information on the Barbados-Panama relationship.
• Consider additional areas of cooperation and partnering.

"We expect that our management and staff at the Bridgetown Port will benefit from technical exchanges, particularly in the area of cargo equipment handling, engineering and benchmarking," said Mr. Jean-Marie.