Ten years of UNCTAD data show the region’s best-connected member growing stronger while most others fall back

Much of what CARICOM members import, from food to machinery, arrives by container ship. How often ships call, and how many places they sail to directly, shapes how quickly and cheaply those goods arrive.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks 178 countries on how well they are linked to global container shipping, based on ship calls, ship sizes, shipping lines and direct routes. In the third quarter of 2026, Jamaica ranked 43rd, The Bahamas 62nd, and Trinidad and Tobago 83rd. Eight CARICOM members ranked 121st or lower.

For those eight, ships call less often and fewer routes run direct. More of their imports arrive via a larger hub port, adding days and handling costs before goods reach shops.

The gap has widened since 2016. Jamaica has become 20% better connected, while most other members, including Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, have become less connected. For these members, more trade now reaches the world by way of a neighbour’s port.

Source: Antigua News Room CARICOM's Shipping Links Are Concentrating in Fewer Ports.