Freight is transported to the Islands from the UK and South America by both air and sea.
Recent developments in shipping arrangements now mean wool can be collected directly from Stanley and Fox Bay Village for containerisation direct for shipment to world markets. For the first time wool shipments have been sent directly to a processor in Eastern Europe and containers of fish have been shipped direct to a customer in St. Petersburg.
The primary port is located in Stanley Harbour and known locally as FIPASS (Falklands Interim Port and Storage System). FIPASS comprises a floating network of barges installed by the military after 1982. It was purchased by the Falkland Islands Government in 1988 and is currently operated by Byron McKay Port Services Ltd. The Government is researching options to build a new port facility.
In addition, there is a small commercial wharf in Stanley Harbour owned by the Falkland Islands Company (FIC). Located in close proximity to most retail and commercial operations, this jetty offers a four metre draft with limited warehousing, storage areas, water and fuel supplies. The coastal supply ship, the Concordia Bay, is normally based here.
The road network currently extends to 786km. A 5km spur road has been constructed from Port Howard to Second Creek, to facilitate a cross sound ferry link between East and West Falkland. Over the next three years the Public Works Department plans to construct a further 50km of new road in Camp thus completing the links to all occupied mainland settlements. In addition, substantial sums of money are being invested to upgrade existing sections of road, which has latterly included replacement of a bridge at Little Chartres to remove a weight limit bottleneck in the heart of the West Falkland network. A new ferry and coastal shipping vessel, the Concordia Bay, operates scheduled coastal voyages between New Haven and Port Howard, linking East and West Falkland.
International flights fly from Mount Pleasant Airport. An aircraft chartered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) flies to the UK twice weekly and LAN operate a weekly Airbus 320 or similar aircraft to Santiago in Chile via Punta Arenas.
The Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) operates four, nine-seater Britten Norman Islander aircraft to over 35 landing strips across the Islands.
DHL offers a courier service, co-ordinated locally by the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce.
Cable and Wireless operate standard national and international telecommunications services, which includes a mobile phone network and island wide Internet facilities. Broadband is currently being phased in across the Islands.
