European companies engaged to secure suitable vessels for regional ferry

Two leading European ferry companies are currently being engaged as operators of the Connect Caribe regional ferry service work feverishly to get the project off the ground.

The highly anticipated ferry service was expected to be up and running by August of last year, but was forced to delay its startup after encountering problems relating to the cost of suitable vessels to ply the regional routes.

A recent release from Connect Caribe’s parent company, Pleion Group Inc, said the ferry company continues to address this issue, with its biggest challenge now being the identification of vessels compatible with Caribbean waters.

Jennifer Highland, Pleion’s Communications Director said that one significant external challenge that contributed to the project’s delay was the unsuitability of the initial recommended vessels for Caribbean waters. She noted that after a thorough evaluation by the agency’s Ferry Committee, compatibility issues were identified with the proposed vessels, particularly due to low tide conditions at a key port and smaller ports across the region.

As a result of these issues, the director said that key negotiations began last year for the provision of suitable vessels and operational partnership with two leading European ferry companies.

“We anticipate a positive outcome as we seek to ensure the smoothest start to the delivery of our service and the minimisation of risk to our operations.”

The director added that stakeholder engagement across the territories took longer than expected and this too added to the delay. She noted, however, that positive feedback from key entities were received and the company remained actively engaged with stakeholders.

Highland in the release noted that while the engagement process has required additional time, achieving a successful rollout has required careful planning and strategic coordination.

“However, we are confident that the outcomes will set a new standard for regional connectivity and trade efficiency. It will undoubtedly be worth the wait as we push towards the start of operations,” Highland posited.

The proposed routes for the passenger-cargo route within the Eastern Caribbean will involve Barbados, Trinidad, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada. The USVI and surrounding areas are St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, St. Maarten, BVI, Anguilla, Antigua, Dominica while the cargo route in South America and Caribbean are Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname.