St Vincent PM welcomes regional ferry service

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has welcomed plans announced by Transport Minister Devant Maharaj to fast track the regional ferry service between this country and four southern Caribbean islands. He said he was even happier about the proposed prices—between US$25 and US$35 a person for the trip which will start in Trinidad, go to Grenada, St Vincent, Barbados and return to Trinidad. He said he does not see the initiative competing with either Caribbean Airlines (CAL) or LIAT. However, he said it provides and opportunity for the discussion on one Caribbean air carrier.

Maharaj announced at last Thursday’s post-Cabinet meeting that the Government had moved one step closer to making the ferry service a reality by contracting the services of FCL, a Barbados-based consortium. Gonsalves, flew into Trinidad on Friday morning to visit Patrick Manning, who is recovering from a mild stroke at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). Addressing the issue of inter-island transportation, Gonsalves recalled that the study for this project started when Colm Imbert was Minister of Works and Transport. “I called a meeting of transport ministers in St Vincent and we had discussed air and sea transport.” He said the Government did commit to undertaking the study and initial financing.

“I am overjoyed to see the new administration not just continuing, but developing further and to a higher level this particular policy, to have a practical meaning and invitation to the people of the region.” Gonzales said with the initiative coming on stream, arrangements must now be worked out with the two regional air carriers, CAL and LIAT. He said it will be discussed when LIAT shareholders meet today. “We have to get to the bottom of CAL and LIAT working together. Patrick Manning had a vision for one Caribbean airline, Panday had a vision for one Caribbean airline, and I know there are people in the Government of T&T who have that vision. “We have to turn that dream into a reality and we have to do it in a practical way,” he said.

Gonsalves said it does not make sense for CAL to compete with LIAT. “That would only weaken LIAT,” he said, adding that CAL has the advantage of paying a subsidised US$50 a barrel for aviation fuel, LIAT pays US$110. “What we have to do is sit down and work out all the modalities and all the arrangements to deliver the best quality service by air to the people of the region and to do it at the cheapest possible price with all the available resources that we have.”