Overview: The Tropical Trade & Cruise Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a tropical sea of approximately 2.75 million square kilometers, bordered by Central America, South America, and the islands of the Caribbean. It serves as both the world's top cruise destination and a vital gateway to the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Panama Canal Gateway: All ships transiting the Panama Canal from the Atlantic side must pass through the Caribbean Sea. With over 14,000 vessels transiting Panama annually, the Caribbean's strategic position as a funnel for inter-ocean trade is irreplaceable in global logistics.
The Caribbean is semi-enclosed, bordered by Mexico and Central America to the west, Colombia and Venezuela to the south, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles island chains to the north and east. Its warm, clear waters have made it both a commercial shipping thoroughfare and the world's most popular cruise destination.
Geographic Extent
- North: Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico)
- East: Lesser Antilles island chain
- South: Venezuela and Colombia (South America)
- West: Central America and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula
- Panama Canal: Southwest exit to the Pacific
- Length: ~2,800 km (east–west)
Major Sub-Regions
- Greater Antilles: Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola — major port islands
- Lesser Antilles: Eastern arc; Barbados, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Martinique
- Gulf of Mexico: Northwest; connected via Yucatán Channel
- Gulf of Honduras: Key access to Central American ports
- Venezuela Basin: Deepest part of the Caribbean
Cayman Trough
- Maximum depth: 7,686 meters (25,217 feet)
- Located in the Cayman Trough between Cuba and Jamaica
- Part of the boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates
- Seismically active zone; source of major Caribbean earthquakes
Strategic Importance: Cruise, Containers & the Panama Connection
Panama Canal Approach
The Caribbean's most critical shipping function
- All Atlantic-Pacific transits via Panama begin/end in the Caribbean
- 14,000+ vessels transit Panama Canal annually
- US East Coast ↔ Asia routes pass through Caribbean
- Neo-Panamax vessels (up to 366m length) now transit expanded locks
- Colón Free Trade Zone (Panama): largest free trade zone in Western Hemisphere
- Cargo types: containers, LNG, tankers, bulk carriers
Container Shipping
- Major transshipment hubs serve smaller island ports via feeder vessels
- US Gulf ports and East Coast connected to Caribbean feeder network
- Trinidad & Tobago: Southern Caribbean transshipment hub
- Kingston, Jamaica: Major transshipment center for Americas
- Freeport, Bahamas: Growing transshipment hub near US East Coast
Cruise Industry
World's #1 cruise destination
- ~35 million cruise passengers visit the Caribbean annually
- Over 50% of global cruise capacity deployed in Caribbean
- Miami and Port Everglades: World's top cruise homeports
- Cozumel, Nassau, St. Maarten, Labadee: Top cruise call ports
- Economic contribution: $3+ billion to regional island economies
- Private island development by MSC, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line
Major Caribbean Ports
Container & Commercial:
- Colón, Panama: Atlantic entrance to Panama Canal
- Kingston, Jamaica: Major regional transshipment hub
- Puerto Limón, Costa Rica: Central America's busiest port
- Cartagena, Colombia: South America's Caribbean hub
- Port of Spain, Trinidad: Energy and container hub
- Freeport, Bahamas: Near-US transshipment
Energy Corridor: The Caribbean also serves as a key transit zone for Venezuelan and Colombian crude oil exports, as well as LNG from Trinidad's Atlantic LNG facility — one of the largest LNG export terminals in the Western Hemisphere.