Following a challenging Christmas shipping period in 2025, UK-based Vincentian entrepreneur Phillon Chris Kelly, MBA, Founder and Managing Director of Waypoint Enterprises Ltd, is encouraging Vincentians across the diaspora to begin planning and shipping their Christmas cargo earlier this year.
Kelly, whose company, Waypoint Enterprises Ltd, has built its reputation around being a first-choice shipping provider from the United Kingdom to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, says last year’s experience demonstrated how quickly the regional shipping chain can come under pressure during the busy Christmas season.
Shipping disruptions during the 2025 Christmas period affected cargo destined for St. Vincent and other Caribbean destinations. In December, one Caribbean cargo operator reported that congestion and scheduling disruptions at a regional transshipment port had resulted in longer-than-anticipated transit times for some shipments to St. Vincent and Grenada.
For families sending barrels, boxes, household items and Christmas goods home, Kelly believes there are important lessons to be learned.
“Last Christmas showed us that once disruption enters the shipping chain during the busiest period of the year, the knock-on effect can be significant. A shipment may leave the United Kingdom on time, but weather, vessel schedules and onward connections can all affect when it ultimately reaches St. Vincent.”
His message to customers this year is therefore straightforward:
“If you can ship earlier, ship earlier. Don’t wait until the final Christmas sailings.”
Kelly also believes consideration could be given to bringing forward the commencement of the annual Christmas barrel concession, potentially beginning from 1 November.
SVG Customs guidance notes that thousands of barrels and small packages are imported into the country each year, with the majority arriving during the Christmas season.
An earlier concession period, Kelly suggests, could provide an additional incentive for Vincentians overseas to send their barrels and personal effects sooner and help spread cargo arrivals over a longer period.
“If the concession begins earlier, it could encourage more people to ship earlier and help spread cargo arrivals over a longer period rather than concentrating so much volume close to Christmas.”
Kelly stressed, however, that earlier planning should not be viewed solely as a matter for Government, shipping lines or freight companies.
“We all have a part to play – Government, shipping lines, agents, shippers and customers. From our side as a shipping company, we have to communicate clearly and provide customers with opportunities to move their goods earlier. Customers can also help themselves by not leaving everything until the last possible sailing.”
Kelly is also encouraging Vincentians across the wider diaspora to speak with their shipping agents before sending Christmas cargo and to ask about both sailing dates and estimated arrival dates.
“One of my tips to customers this Christmas is: don’t only ask when the shipment is leaving. Ask your shipping agent when it is expected to arrive at destination. Planning the arrival is just as important as planning the departure.”
For Kelly, this becomes particularly important during the peak Christmas period.
“Whether your goods are coming from the wider diaspora – the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States or elsewhere – the principle remains the same. If we can encourage more staggered arrivals, there is a wider benefit.”
He believes spreading arrivals across the Christmas shipping period could potentially help reduce pressure at destination rather than concentrating significant cargo volumes around a limited number of dates.
“It can help reduce the potential for bottlenecks and ease pressure across the supply chain – from shipping agents and port operations to Customs officers, cargo handlers and, ultimately, the customers collecting their goods.”
Kelly added:
“Christmas shipping should be planned from both ends. Know when you’re shipping, but also have an idea of when you’re expecting it to arrive.”
Waypoint Enterprises Ltd has incorporated that thinking into its own Christmas 2026 shipping programme – “The Run-In.”
The campaign provides customers with a series of scheduled shipping opportunities throughout October, November and December, allowing families to plan according to when they would like their goods to reach St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Rather than concentrating solely on the final Christmas container, Waypoint is encouraging customers to consider earlier sailings wherever possible.
“For us, The Run-In isn’t simply about getting more cargo onto a container. It’s about giving customers information early enough to make sensible decisions. If something is intended for Christmas and it can be shipped in October or November, there is very little benefit in deliberately waiting until December.”
Waypoint says it will continue providing customers with closing dates, loading dates and estimated arrival dates throughout The Run-In, while encouraging early booking where space is limited.
The approach reflects the five pillars around which the company has built its service: Communication, Trustworthiness, Integrity, Efficiency and Reliability.
For Kelly, the message ahead of Christmas 2026 is ultimately one of preparation rather than alarm.
“We cannot control the weather, and individual shipping companies cannot control every vessel or connection in an international supply chain. What we can control is how early we prepare, how clearly we communicate and the decisions we make before the Christmas rush begins.”
His final message to Vincentians across the diaspora comes with a touch of home:
“As we say back home, ‘Yuh nah fuh wait fuh de Christmas concession.’ If you know you’re sending something home for Christmas, start planning now. Ship early where you can, know your sailing date, know your expected arrival date – and don’t leave everything until the last minute.”
Phillon Chris Kelly, MBA
Founder and Managing Director, Waypoint Enterprises Ltd
