A private sector-led regional ferry service was launched on Tuesday, aimed at increasing and improving transportation among Caribbean countries.
“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.
“|This new ferry service is poised to bring a multitude of benefits to each island in the region, not only will it provide a reliable and efficient transportation for both locals and tourists, but it will also stimulate economic growth, promote tourism and enhance connectivity between the islands.
“I believe that this service has the potential to truly transform the way people travel throughout the region and I am passionate to be a part of this project,” Scantlebury added.
President of the e-commerce division, founder of the Anthony Hinkson Consultancy; Anthony Hickson, told the ceremony that the new initiative would be beneficial to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) that promotes the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region.
“The CARICOM Single Market and Economy is intended to benefit the people of our region by providing more and better opportunities to produce and sell our goods and services and to attract investments.
“It will create one large market among the participating member states,” he said, noting that there are two main challenges to achieving this.
“One, product awareness, second product transport even when we are goods that are produced in other territories the cost of transporting those goods from one territory to another can at time be either prohibitive in costs or prohibitive in terms of time.
“Connect Caribe is addressing these problems through the combination of our e-commerce platform, connect e-shops with the timely and cost effective cargo transport capacity of our inter-island ferries,” he added.
The launch of the new initiative comes less than a month after Trinidad and Tobago confirmed that efforts are well advanced for a regional ferry service that would link the country with Guyana and Barbados.
Earlier this month, Guyana’s President. Irfaan Ali said that the three countries had “formed a joint company that would work for the introduction of a ferry system for passenger and cargo between Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados”.
Ali, who was speaking at the signing ceremony for a new US$35 million Mackenzie/ Wismar Bridge, did not elaborate, but Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, addressing the launch of the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate (PPIE) at Point Lisas in Central Trinidad, said “only recently you would have heard of the closing of discussions and a readiness to establish a regional cargo ferry service between Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
“This is a decision which is driven by the need to move raw materials and fresh produce from the producing areas to the consumption and manufacturing areas within this sub-zone of CARICOM.”
Rowley told the audience that the “outcome of such a transportation service can only improve our food security, stimulate production across the region, create jobs and support affordable prices of the many agricultural products which we desire at our tables and in our hotels”.
Regional countries have identified both sea and air transportation as a major constraint facing the regional integration movement, CARICOM has set itself a target of reducing its multi-billion US dollar food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.
In 2022, CARICOM approached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for funding to establish this intra-regional ferry service with the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) being tasked with ironing out a proposed roadmap study for a fast ferry service with an initial focus on trade between Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Barbados.
-CMC NEWS
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Look how I will stop fly now and catch the ferry, look how liat a loose money now, lmao!
People will actually travel more if its affortable, imagine this could have been done so long ago, smh. Grateful for trade opportunities now, this is excellent for all.
Nice to hear but when this boat will be active .witch month in 2024 this boat will up an running
It’s a great idea but I guess it also depends on the type of vessel and the time it would take to reach far destinations. People back in the day used to get here via boats like my Grandmother who came here from Dominica on a banana boat. However the introduction of International Airports made travelling much faster though more expensive. People normally get boat sickness travelling between Antigua and Barbuda and I wonder how that’s gonna work out travelling to Guyana. Refugees seeking asylum in another country are willing to endure the motion sickness and dangerous weather conditions due to the bigger picture ahead. Passengers on cruise liners are entertained and the rooms are set up to make u forget you are on a ship.
Ungratefulness can really be worse than witchcraft. We cuss and cuss and cuss about the fact that we couldn’t travel anywhere since COVID-19. Then we PM and the other PMs get together and launch a new LIAT and now we have a ferry service. As soon as the wind die down and the sea is not rough, I will be heading on over to the Emerald Isle to see my Dominican driving instructor. That man was a police and he is the best. The sea better make haste and calm down.
Girl what are you even talking about?
It’s amazing to me that the one that calls themselves “ lycorish” sounds and intonate like sidelines.
@ Sharon Patriot Lycorish: The crazy woman. Can’t be patriot of two different countries. Even the white migrants call themselves expatriates.
Before you see your driving instructor go see your civics teacher; and be sure to tell him or her The Dog sent you.
It is outright pathetic that an economic powerhouse like Antigua does not have a proper ferry terminal. If one were to observe the operations of the montserrat ferry and the movement of persons between Antigua and Barbuda its laughable…pure caveman . No shelter…no seating…no bathroom facilities…no security.. If we are to capitalize on this inter island ferry service these basic things shoulbe in place. Antiguans put up with too much mediocrity …..mediocracy in government…in public service…in banking….LORD HELP US
Talk truth Dion!
Great look forward to it when
There is modern Ferry Terminals across The Leeward Islands and Dutch Caribbean.
It’s all about people of a certain origin. The Chinese sees us just as the colonialist did. People to exploit.
Gaston and his Chinese Masters don’t consider people of a certain origin worthy of facilities such as a modern Ferry Terminal filled with amenities.
And while I’m on the subject of ferry terminals. The Barbudan Council seems to be waiting for the Chinese or PLH to arrive. The Ferry Dock is a piece of concrete jotting out into the water.
Should they get the money out of Global Bank before it collapses, maybe they should embark on a real ferry Terminal?
In this long Press Release “Connect Caribe,” refers to themselves as strategic and distinguish partners. The usual buzz words, and leaves out crucial information is left out..
Rather than telling the public: “the new initiative would be beneficial to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) that promotes the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region. Isn’t that obvious if Connect Caribe is successful?
WHAT DOES YOUR E-COMMERCE CONSIDTS OF OR MEANS TO THEM?
Can a vendor in Dominica or a manufacturer in Guyana register to the E-commerce platform that enables them to list their inventory of goods available with pricing.
Can a retailer in Antigua or anywhere else in Eastern Caribbean/CARICOM, make a purchase from that Dominican producer or Guyanese manufacturer digitally? Knowing the location of their purchase in real time? Thats e-commerce.
E-commerce would mean Connect Caribe is also a logistics company, offering complete port to port logistics.
I am amazed that a venture start-up which has been able to raise $50 million (ECC or USD not clear)
In the absence of an integrated transactional platform, it isn’t e-commerce yet.
It’s a shipping company with a website.
To truly have an e-commerce site is desperately needed in the CARICOM Countries with an integrated currency; otherwise, it’s USD only.
The level of organizational management in handling passengers, and cargo manufactured goods and produce; with one boat going North and one going South per week with approximately 2500 passengers. Such organizational Mangement is not available in the Caribbean.
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