Logistics services in Haiti.

Haiti logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Goods move in and out of Haiti mainly by sea and air. The country has about 5 seaports along a coastline of about 1,771 km, including Port Au Prince, Cap Haitien, Jacmel, Miragoane and Petit Goave, plus 1 oil terminal. Scheduled air services operate through 4 main airports, with a wider network of about 17 airports in total.

Containerized sea freight, breakbulk and small volumes move through these ports, supported by several global shipping lines with offices in Port Au Prince. Air freight capacity is limited in tonne-km terms, so higher-value or time-sensitive cargo typically uses air, while bulkier imports like refined petroleum and rice usually move by sea. Road transport connects production and consumption areas to seaports and airports inside the country and to the border with the Dominican Republic.

When choosing freight forwarders in Haiti, shippers work around a system where logistics performance is below the world median. The overall Logistics Performance Index is 2.1 compared with a world median of 2.7, with weaker scores in infrastructure at 1.8 and logistics quality at 2.0. Customs, tracking and international shipments sit around 2.0 to 2.3, so process reliability and information flow should be a focus.

Forwarders familiar with Port Au Prince and secondary ports like Cap Haitien, Jacmel, Miragoane and Petit Goave can help route cargo efficiently. Haiti’s main export partners are the USA, Canada, Mexico, France and India, and import partners include the USA, Dominican Republic, China, Indonesia and India, so experience on these lanes is useful. For ocean moves, coordination with carriers such as APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, ONE and X-Press Feeders based in Port Au Prince is an advantage.

Haiti handles about 201,514 TEU of container traffic, ranking 107 of 168 worldwide and 21 of 38 in its region. The country’s liner shipping connectivity index stands at 8.68, with a world rank of 105 of 169, indicating limited but established connections for FCL and LCL shipping from and to Haiti. Port Au Prince is the main container port, with a cargo pier depth of about 9.4 m and a rail connection at the port.

Other seaports include Miragoane with about 11.0 m depth, Cap Haitien at about 9.4 m, Jacmel at about 4.9 m and Petit Goâve at about 1.8 m. Global shipping lines with offices in or serving Port Au Prince include APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, ONE and X-Press Feeders. These carriers support container flows tied to exports such as garments, essential oils and scrap iron, and imports such as refined petroleum, rice, garments, cotton fabric and plastic products.

Haiti shares a land border of about 376 km with the Dominican Republic. This corridor provides a road route for cross-border trade and for road freight linking inland production areas to Haiti’s seaports and airports.

Port Au Prince port has a rail connection at the cargo pier, while the other listed ports do not. Road freight supports movements of export goods such as garments and scrap iron, as well as imports like refined petroleum and rice, between industrial zones, population centers and gateways at the ports and main airports.

Haiti is a member of the World Customs Organization, with membership recorded since 1958-01-31, and also participates in the World Trade Organization. The average applied tariff is about 6.76 percent. For planning, shippers usually prepare at least a commercial invoice, packing list and transport document for customs clearance in Haiti.

The Logistics Performance Index customs score is 2.1 compared with a world median of 2.6, indicating less efficient border processes than the median country. Overall LPI is 2.1 vs a world median of 2.7. Reported border compliance lead times are about 2 days for exports and about 2 days for imports. Shippers trading with main partners such as the USA, Dominican Republic, China, Canada and others benefit from forwarders who understand Haiti’s customs procedures and documentary expectations.