Muneshwers Ltd. and John Fernandes Ltd. are working through their joint venture, Cranes Guyana Inc., to bring a true deepwater port to the South American nation’s coast.
The two leading shipping and logistics companies are setting the stage for what could become one of the most consequential trade infrastructure projects in the country’s history.
They are in advanced discussions with a financial institution to secure the funding required to get the project off the ground, according to Chandradat Chintamani, General Manager of Muneshwers Ltd.
Speaking at the 2025 Local Content Summit in Georgetown on Tuesday, Chintamani said Cranes Guyana has already made significant headway in talks with the government. He stopped short of disclosing the exact location but noted that the development plan is already in motion.
“We have a commitment to the government; once we have signed off on those agreements within 18 months, we should have the first few berths of that deepwater facility available for vessels to traverse Guyana and have transshipment done here,” Chintamani said.
This move would finally allow large cargo vessels to dock directly in Guyana, bypassing the need for transshipment through third-party ports.
Guyana has relied heavily on regional ports in Trinidad and Jamaica for cargo handling. While functional, this arrangement has impacted costs and created persistent logistical headaches, particularly during peak shipping periods. The absence of a true deepwater port has long been seen as a strategic gap in Guyana’s trade ambitions, one the government had flagged as a priority.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has been vocal about the transformative potential of a genuine deepwater port. He pointed out that a properly designed facility capable of handling Panamax-class vessels, among the largest ships that can pass through the Panama Canal, requiring a draft of approximately 12 meters, could slash shipping costs by up to 60% and position Guyana as a re-export hub for the Caribbean and South America.
Such a port, Jagdeo has said, does not come cheap. Estimates suggest it could cost more than US$1 billion to build, a figure that dwarfs the tens of millions spent by CGX Energy on its Berbice-based facility, which the Vice President has repeatedly said does not meet the criteria of a true deepwater port, despite being so styled by the company.
