Cayman Islands ports handled more cargo in the first seven months of 2026, according to the latest figures from the Port Authority.
Its Port Cargo Summary shows 405,538 tonnes of cargo passed through the ports between January and July, up from 376,386 tonnes during the same period in 2025.
The increase of about 7.8% came as the number of port calls also rose. There were 210 calls during the seven-month period, 14% more than in the first seven months of 2025.
However, the figures were not higher across every measure of port activity.
Port workers spent 54 days without a ship in port, nearly 4% more than during the same period last year, while overtime hours fell 17%.
Cargo volumes also shifted from month to month. June accounted for the largest monthly total, with 84,225 tonnes handled compared with 41,664 tonnes in June 2025.
February recorded the second-largest increase among the months cited in the data, with 68,336 tonnes compared with 48,353 tonnes a year earlier.
The January-to-July total was still below the 425,420 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2024. The 2026 figure was about 4.7% lower than the 2024 total despite exceeding the 2025 level.
Containerised cargo made up part of the activity recorded in the later months. July volumes reached 27,587 tonnes compared with 26,162 tonnes in July 2025.
June containerised cargo was almost unchanged year on year, at 24,203 tonnes in 2026 compared with 24,186 tonnes in 2025.
Fuel imports also contributed to cargo volumes. Diesel imports reached 4.39 million imperial gallons in July, compared with 4.11m gallons in July 2025.
June diesel imports were 4.54m gallons, up from 3.36m gallons a year earlier. Gas imports also increased in March, reaching 4.74m gallons compared with 993,343 gallons in March 2025.
Taken together, the figures show more cargo was handled during the first seven months of 2026 even as port workers recorded more days without a ship in port.
The increase in cargo also remains below the level recorded two years earlier, with the January-to-July 2026 total trailing 2024 by about 4.7%.
