The Minister of Home Affairs has toured a cargo vessel and the island’s main container port to get insights into the cost of transporting goods.

Alexa Lightbourne joined Cheryl Hayward-Chew, chief executive of Meyer Group, to view the inner workings of the Hamilton port and the wider supply chain.

Ms Lightbourne said watching the handoffs take place in real time “sharpened the picture”.

She added: “Scheduling, weather, berth availability and yard flow each add cost and risk.

“When we improve predictability and cut avoidable delays, we lower prices felt by families and small businesses. That is the work.”

The tour came after the Cost of Living Summit, where the Minister of Home Affairs and others explored ways to reduce the cost of essential goods.

Ms Lightbourne also toured the M/V Bermuda Islander, a major freighter delivering goods to the island.

She was guided by George Butterfield, vice president of freight, and Konika Spence, the assistant manager of Meyer Freight.

Aboard the freighter, Captain Dmytro Sefer and Chief Officer Dmytro Keyshnikov explained how sailing schedules, weather and planning were all weighed.

Ms Lightbourne also used the visit to meet with Randy Rochester, chief executive of Polaris Holding Company Ltd, parent company of dock operators Stevedoring Services Limited.

Mr Rochester gave her a walk-through of container discharge, the foreman’s hut and co-ordination with local trucking services.

Ms Hayward-Chew welcomed the minister’s tour and underlined the importance of the shipping company’s role.

She explained: “In addition to the physical movement of cargo, Meyer Freight’s administrators work in the background with Bermuda’s shippers to book and track cargo deliveries in and out of Bermuda.”