ST. BARTHS — Port de Gustavia in St. Barthélemy reached full capacity ahead of Christmas, forcing six of the largest mega yachts to anchor outside the harbor. Port Director Ernest Brin noted a sharp increase in maritime traffic compared to last year’s holiday season, with both more vessels and larger yachts arriving. “All our docks are full,” Brin explained. “The maximum size we can accommodate is 60 meters, or 196 feet, as mandated by our insurance. While the warehouse dock can handle yachts up to 65 meters, we limit this to two or three due to potential weather risks. Larger…
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PHILIPSBURG — StMaartenNews.com is proud to announce Princess Juliana International Airport – SXM Airport – as the recipient of our Entity of the Year 2024 award in the positive. This recognition celebrates the airport’s incredible resilience, transformative reconstruction efforts, and its unwavering role as a cornerstone of St. Maarten’s tourism-based economy. A Story of Resilience and Reconstruction SXM Airport’s journey to this recognition has been nothing short of extraordinary. Following the devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017, the airport was left in ruins. Despite the immense challenges, SXM Airport has risen from hurricane debris to reestablish itself once…
PHILIPSBURG — The recent sentencing of two individuals in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for defamation and the distribution of explicit images has reverberated throughout the Caribbean. A senior magistrate in St. Vincent sentenced Zarrieta Zavisha Wilson, 34, and Reno Roberts, 27, to just under 10 months in prison. Additionally, they were fined EC$65,000 and ordered to pay EC$29,000 in compensation under the Cybercrime Act. This ruling has reignited discussions about the urgent need for similar legislation in St. Maarten. Roberto Achken Richardson, president of the Democratic Party (DP) board and founder and president of the Integrity Advancement Movement (IAM)…
PHILIPSBURG — Sonesta Maho Beach Resort can forget about tax exemption for its investment of 59,148,000 guilders (a bit over $31.3 million) in the renovation of its resort after it was severely damaged bij Hurricane Irma in September 2017. It will only get this exemption for the expansion of its resort, an investment of 12,852,000 guilders (around $7.2 million). The dispute between the Minister of Finance and Resort of the World, the entity that owns the resort, ended with a decision by the Common Court of Justice that handled the appeal against the refusal to offer tax-exemption for the complete…
PHILIPSBURG — The Court in First Instance sentenced Clarence Derby, the former manager of The Towers at Mullet Bay to pay insurance company Ennia more than $2.1 million for payments he received without a legal basis between 2008 and 2018. The amount consists of unlawfully paid salaries and legal costs. Derby started working for Sun Resorts in 1973. Fifty years later, on January 18, 2023, Sun Resorts placed Derby on non-active duty and stopped paying his salary. Derby stated in court that he received a monthly payment of just over $14,900 from Sun Resorts and that part of this amount…
The 2024 WBSC Premier12, the third installment of the prestigious baseball championship, brought together the world’s top 12 national teams under the banner of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The tournament, widely regarded as the second most significant event in international baseball after the World Baseball Classic, featured two pools of six teams. From each pool, only the top two advanced to the Super Round in Tokyo, Japan. This year’s edition saw standout performances from St. Maarten’s very own Denzel Richardson, a key player for Team Kingdom of the Netherlands. Richardson played alongside renowned former Major League Baseball stars,…
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (December 15, 2024)—The One St. Martin Association (One SXM) participated in the consultation of the United Nations Permanent Forum for People of African Descent (PFPAD) on December 12, said Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, president of One SXM. The meeting, held in Barbados, focused on the draft declaration on the human rights of people of African descent. It was a “packed and impactful day of discussions,” said Arrindell. According to June Soomer, Chair of the Permanent Forum, the meeting marked the first public consultation on the draft declaration. In her opening address, Soomer acknowledged attendees who had been laying the…
PHILIPSBURG — As a Member of Parliament of St. Maarten, I acknowledge and validate the concerns raised by the employees of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) regarding the recruitment process for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position. Their frustrations are understandable given the clear inconsistencies in the airport’s hiring practices. Currently, the vacancy for the Chief Operations Officer (COO) position is being conducted internally, prioritizing qualified local candidates for the role. While I take no personal issue with the selection of the COO or CEO, the differing approaches to these two key positions raise significant questions. If the COO…
PHILIPSBURG — The General Audit Chamber has released its findings on the effectiveness of Parliament’s membership in Parlatino, an intergovernmental organization, and the fiscal prudence of government travel expenditures in 2022. The report sheds light on the high costs associated with Parlatino participation and the lack of accountability in travel-related spending, prompting recommendations for more stringent policies to ensure transparency and value for money. Since joining Parlatino in 2010, St. Maarten has paid ANG 518,999 in membership fees and incurred over ANG 2.1 million in travel-related expenses. These costs include per diem allowances and airfare for attending Parlatino assemblies, with four trips recorded in 2022…
“The Road network of St. Maarten was subject of much debate during the handling of the amended budget 2024 in the Parliament”, MP Wescot stated in a recent letter to Min of VROMI, MR. P. Gumbs. Before minister Gumbs’ tenure, information was provided by the ministry regarding dirt roads to be paved etc. as it related to the capital budget 2024. However, a detailed calendar of works with respect to the paving of side roads, the so-called Side Road Pavement project which was promised to parliament, has not been received, MP Wescot explained. “I have reminded the minister to share…
