A Mexican ferry company is set to sign a multi-million-dollar contract with the government, extending the operation of its V2V Empress passenger boat for one more year.
The catamaran service, which was previously contracted for five months from November 2023, will roll over into April with no gaps in the schedule.
Premier Joseph E Farrell announced the extension to the partnership with Naviyuc SA De CV during a live broadcast interview with the Government Information Unit on 28 March.
He said Cabinet agreed to fund the operation for the coming financial year using its 2024-2025 budget, and the contract is expected to be signed “anytime now”.
Farrell said the government has budgeted EC$17 million, which includes about EC$10 million for the contract, and about EC$7 million in immigration and customs agency fees.
“We all aware that having a ferry is a public good, and the absence of a ferry makes life difficult for the travelling public,” the premier said.
He said people need consistency in their movement, but the government has found it “extremely difficult” over the past few years to secure a certified, quality ferry service.
Plan long term
Naviyuc SA De CV, which owns the Belize-flagged V2V Empress vessel which was built in 1995, began its 1.5 hour services between Montserrat and Antigua in early November 2023.
The company was contracted to operate for five days a week during the off-peak period and six days a week during the peak periods in December 2023 and March 2024.
The schedule also included a number of day trips to Antigua and Nevis.
V2V Empress carried up to 192 passengers each trip and was run by an all-Mexican crew of seven including Captain Jesus Ramirez.
Farrell said the new contract is good news for the people of Montserrat and visitors, as well as the economy as a whole.
“I think it gives some kind of surety that there’s a ferry, there’s access to Montserrat, and people can now plan long term for coming to Montserrat,” he added.
The premier said he is aware that from April until November passenger footfall is very small but it was important to secure the ferry services now so they are available during more popular times.
The Access Division will work on a cost-effective schedule and publish it soon, he said.
UK support
The premier stressed that the ferry service is very expensive and the money to pay for it has to come from the government’s budget.
He said that if additional funding does not come from the United Kingdom, then the government will not be able to provide the service.
Taxes must not be increased, he said, and the money cannot be diverted from other services such as education or healthcare.
Farrell added that if the UK could provide a three-year budget rather than one-year budget to Montserrat then the government would be able to negotiate better contract terms.
“In the absence of that longer-term budgetary system, then we are going to find ourselves in a situation where we have to negotiate one year, every year,” he said.
“It’s going to cost Montserrat much more than if you had a longer-term contract arrangement with these people.”
