Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 March 2026, 22:58 by Writer
The new logistics and off-site commercial customs facilities at the Guyana branch of the Florida, United States-headquartered freight forwarding company, PAS Cargo USA, are expected to reduce bottlenecks in clearing cargo, top sector officials said on Wednesday.
President of the Guyana Customs House Brokers and Clerks Association, Colin Moore said the facility at Rome, East Bank Demerara is expected to help ease “one of the biggest nightmares” which is getting cargo cleared.
“Especially in Guyana, we have a system here where there is a lot of congestion and this because we’re a small country, we are now developing and so on so this initiative, this facility that PAS Cargo has put together here is a very, very welcomed initiative for us, as custom brokers,” he told the official launch of the facilities at the Georgetown Marriott Hotel.
Mr Moore said brokers are usually highly satisfied with entering and leaving a cargo facility within 30 minutes. He said so far, PAS Cargo has been meeting that target.
The former customs officer also praised PAS Cargo for properly accommodating customs officers at what that company said is the first offsite commercial GRA customs facility.
Mr Moore said the bond, which includes racking systems, is very well laid out. “Very quickly, you can find the cargo and get it out,” he said. That is in contrast to a one-week wait trying to locate cargo.
Chairman of the Shipping Association of Guyana (SAG), Komal Singh said PAS Cargo’s new facility would address the shortage of storage space on wharves.
Looking ahead to Guyana’s plans to increase manufacturing, he said the country needed to prepare itself to meet international standards. “We cannot wait until the time when we have excess and massive amounts of exports in place and start working then to increase our efficiency as it relates to offering good customer service,” he said.
Vice President of PAS Cargo USA, Shridat Naraine said the “first-of-a-kind” secure off port bond facility provides spacious manoeuvrability for vehicles as well as parking.
He said the facility, which addressed environmental issues and inefficiencies at a Demerara River port location, has positioned the company to serve industrial, commercial and oil gas sectors.
Backed by modern technologies, he said customers could move seamlessly from documentation, customs clearance and cargo collection in one location. “More importantly, this is a statement that Guyana deserves world-class infrastructure; a statement that local talent, innovation and vision can compete at the highest level,” he added.
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, Thandi McAllister said the facility is an example of the “powerful synergies” that could be achieved when public policy and private sector innovation align.
She hailed the PAS Cargo facility as a “landmark achievement” in national trade development.
She said as the first off-site facility approved by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), “it represents a pivotal shift in how supply chain and logistics operations will function in our country” and increase job opportunities.
Ms McAllister, who is Guyana’s non-permanent representative to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), said states are bound by international conventions to simplify and reduce the number of administrative formalities associated with international trade.
She said doing so was not merely procedural but they directly affect long-standing challenges including inconsistent and excessive port clearance processes that can frustrate users and hinder inefficiency.
