Port Esquivel is a settlement on Jamaica’s south coast, primarily handling alumina production. The port, originally known as Puerta de Esquivela, was completed in 1959 and named after Jamaica’s first deputy governor, Juan de Esquivel. Alumina shipments began in 1952, marking the early stages of the country’s alumina industry. Operations were disrupted by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Located 22 miles (35 km) west of Kingston, Port Esquivel is the only port on the south coast able to accommodate large ships. Its 645-foot (197 m) pier can process up to 35,000 tonnes of goods in 38 hours, with two vessels able to berth at the same time. A 14-mile (23 km) channel facilitates the export of alumina and molasses, and the import of fuel oil and related products. Texaco supplies oil to the Jamaica Public Service through its storage plant at the port, which also has its own fire brigade.
An environmental study in 1987 highlighted the negative impact of alumina pollution on coastal seagrass and corals, with approximately 5 acres of seagrass destroyed in 1984 alone, along with oil pollution from the Texaco facility.