The shipping platform

Location: The island of Martinique is located in the Windward chain of the Lesser Antilles between Dominica and St Lucia, and is under French jurisdiction. Fort-de-France is the capital and major port; situated in a safe harbour, about 39km2 in area. General overview: The harbour is easy to enter, with good anchorage over holding ground (soft bottom), in 10.0-22.0m of water. There is accommodation for cruise ships, general/bulk, Ro-Ro/container vessels and tankers; bananas, sugar and fertiliser form the main exports, while raw materials and oil products are imported. The port has 1,900m of berthing space with depths between 5.5-12m alongside, and a tanker and mineral jetty with 17m at the head. Traffic figures: Approx 2,800,000t of cargo, including approx 990,000t containerised, is handled annually. Load line zone: North Atlantic Seasonal Tropical Area, Tropical Nov 1 to Jul 15, Summer Jul 16 to Oct 31. Max size: Pointe Des Grives Container terminal: Max draught 13.0m. Inner Port: Vessels with a draught of 11.0m and a length as given below can be accommodated. Length 180m for vessels with 1 right hand propeller only. Length 345m for vessels with 2 propellers and bow thrusters. Bulk carriers and tankers: Up to 120,000t, draught 15.0m, can be accommodated alongside the berths at Pointe de Carrieres. Largest vessel berthed: Queen Mary 2.