By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

SECURITY concerns have been raised about the surrounding areas of the Nassau Container Port with claims that several containers have reportedly gone “missing,” pointing to an alleged container theft ring, The Tribune has been reliably informed.

According to sources, at least three well known local companies and two smaller businesses have been victims of this alleged ring and possibly face hefty fees and/or payment of between $16,000 to $25,000 to replace the missing equipment, which was last registered as leaving the port under their respective companies’ names.

Among these are a reputable customs brokerage company, two trucking and heavy equipment companies and two local grocers. Seven containers are now missing among them, The Tribune understands. There is a booming black market for stolen containers and chassis, where the equipment is sold for less than half of its value, sources told this newspaper.

The stolen equipment was said to be moved from a designated area just outside the port’s main gates.

Just In Time Trucking is one of the companies hit by the alleged container thieves.

Company owner Justin Knowles, who has been in the industry for the last 11 years, told The Tribune yesterday that his business has been adversely affected and the thefts have presented challenges.

“Over the Christmas I had three containers gone missing,” he said. “This year we’ve had one disappear and show up recently. This has happened twice so far for the year. But over the Christmas I had three units disappear.

“One of these units showed up and we have carried that one back to the port, but two of them are still missing. With us we have a paper trail. So far we have been lucky enough to prove ourselves in regards to these. (We have) paperwork stating that it’s been delivered or what not. But luckily I haven’t had to pay for anything yet, but right now I have two units that are pending. It’s not only the units I have to pay for, but it’s also the storage that has to be dealt with,” Mr Knowles said.

“I have had people move units for storage and return them days later and then all of a sudden I get these bills for fees and then I’m trying to figure out why we getting these bills. Come to find out it wasn’t my guys who in-gated it and it was somebody else. Unfortunately they don’t have any surveillance on that road in the front there.”

He added: “So even though it is practice for my guys to place locks and stuff on these containers, there are guys who go and cut the locks off and carry the units.”

Anonymous sources added yesterday that when they returned for a container and the attached chassis, which were placed on the designated area just outside the port’s gates, the units were gone.

Upon inquiry with Nassau port officials, the sources said they were informed that port surveillance does not extend to the designated area or on the main causeway frequented by truck drivers multiple times daily.

One of them told The Tribune: “I went one day to in-gate a 40ft foot container, but the gate was already closed. So I placed it on the designated area that everyone uses in instances like this and returned for it the next day.

“Well the next day came and the container was not there and this was back in January. However, I didn’t pay this too much attention because it is common practice around here to put a container down and return for it, but someone else takes it to use it and that person would in turn in-gate the container.

“Then recently I learned that this never happened and the container had racked up a fee of thousands of dollars because it has been gone since January. This has not only caused me a great inconvenience, but the client who is the consignee of the container was not allowed to clear a recent shipment of goods because of the bill attached to the container.

“No one seems to know where the container is or who moved it.”

This source told The Tribune that the matter has been turned over to local authorities.

Another source said his company was victim this year to the theft of a 20ft container.

“We don’t know where it’s gone to,” he said.

“If I put a container out at the Container Port I would like to know that it’s safe. This one went missing between December and January. The thing about it is we can say that we can protect our containers outside the port but we put them out there because we feel it should be safe.

“Now the port could say we don’t manage or we don’t watch containers outside, we watch it inside, but you paying all this money and are told it’s okay to place containers on the area just opposite the old Harry’s Hut and the containers are going missing. So it’s a real concern.

“You put the containers there and the locks are being cut off and the containers are being stolen,” he said.

Officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.