Published: St. Vincent Times – January 24, 2024
Inter-regional ferry service launched
A private sector-led regional ferry service was launched on Tuesday, aimed at increasing and improving transportation among Caribbean countries.
The focus routes for the project are Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Dominica, Suriname and Barbados.
“Connect Caribe,” said its services will be a game changer in the transportation industry.
The three vessels will have the capacity to transport up to 8,000 passengers, cargo and manufactured goods and produce.
Upturn Funds Caribbean in collaboration with Pleion Group Inc unveiled the joint-venture partnership, which it said has led to the establishment of the new private sector-led ferry company. Its mission is “to provide the region with world-class transportation and logistics solutions aimed at revolutionising maritime transportation in the Caribbean”.
Upturn Funds Caribbean is a venture capital and advisory firm based in Barbados with headquarters in New York, while the Pleion Group Inc is a Caribbean and US-based company with offices in the USA, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica.
The Upturn Funds statement said its “distinguished partners” include Windward Ferries Ltd, the Anthony Hinkson Consultancy, JS Cruises and Tours, and the Trinidad-based Ramps Logistics.
“The strategic partners promise to bring about a new era of connectivity and accessibility, positively impacting both local communities and regional economies and opening of new markets for Caribbean entrepreneurs, whilst helping to close the gap that has prevented real Caribbean integration.”
Speaking at the regional launch here, Dr Andre Thomas, the co-founder and chief executive officer for the Caribbean region; said the consortium has brought together a variety of experts from different fields.
“We actually realise that the key was finding the success equation that will make this project happen and make this project bankable and make this project profitable and add value to the men and women of the Caribbean, add value to investors, add value to shareholders.
“It became very clear to us that what we had to do was create a consortium that would be made up of key players in different sectors of the maritime industry and also to bring in an e-commerce element to it,” Thomas said.
“We are in talks with the governments… there is a significant discussion on how we can integrate and tackle this huge opportunity and problem. I believe that where there are problems there are opportunities. There will be significant collaboration between the service that will be done by the governments and our service,” Thomas said.
This first phase of the estimated US$50 million project is expected to come on stream during the last quarter of 2024 and will later be expanded to new island routes in the Caribbean Sea.
President and chairman of JS Cruises and Tours and Maritime Institute of Barbados, Judeen Scantlebury, spoke of the value of the service to the region.