Team Worldwide’s MIA bonded warehouse adds capacity to Caribbean, Central America

Team Worldwide, a US-based 3PL, recently opened a bonded warehouse in Miami in what Bob Imbriani, EVP, International, told Air Cargo World is essentially an “air-sea program” allowing for imports to Miami International Airport (MIA) and exports into the Caribbean and Central America. 

The 3PL’s new warehouse offers Class 2 customs bonded warehousing and in-bond export consolidation, allowing for a 15-day window for cargo to enter the United States without being subject to customs duties before the freight transits or is consolidated for re-export overseas. While cargo often arrives in Miami by ocean freight before it is lifted ex-Miami to other destinations, the Miami bonded warehouse allows for easier exports by ocean to destinations without easy access for large aircraft. 

“The problem is, larger lift into a lot of these places – the islands and Central America – is limited, but there’s a lot more lift in Miami,” Imbriani said. Meanwhile, ocean transit to Central America from Miami often takes only three to four days. “Some of [the cargo] comes by air into Miami, then switches to sea to go to the short runs into the Caribbean and Central America.” 

This type of air-sea program would likely not be well suited for fresh perishables, which command high prices at their final destinations and require cargo to move as quickly as possible from origin to destination. However, Imbriani said typical cargo moving through the warehouse includes machinery, auto parts, mechanical equipment and other industrial cargo.