Statia gets ferry service to St. Maarten

Wagendorp Passenger Services Director Ger van Langen. Photo Caribisch Netwerk

GREAT BAY – Statia will get a daily ferry service to St. Maarten next year, Caribisch Netwerk reports. Currently there is no maritime connection between the two islands. Statia can only be reached through flights with airline Winair.

The Wagendorp group is going to change this situation. The shipping company has a history of a hundred years ferrying passengers to the Dutch Wadden islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog.

“We are in the process of purchasing a ferry with a capacity of 350 passengers. The twice-daily departures in both directions will begin in the third quarter of 2017. A single fare will cost $50,” says director Ger van Langen of Wagendorp Passenger Services.

Van Langen spoke last Monday with Commissioner of Tourism Derrick Simmons about the new connection that was announced on the first day of the sustainability conference in Statia.

“I have been involved for the past five years with the development of plans for Statia. I am very happy that I am finally able to produce the golden egg that will make the island more accessible,” Van Langen says.

Wagenborg also has plans for a bi-weekly ferry service from Statia to nearby St. Kitts. There will be limited space for cargo traffic and a roll-on-roll-of facility for ten cars.

Citizens in Statia reacted elated to the plans. “Nature and tourism go hand in hand. Statia has wonderful nature. The more (day) visitors come to explore our nature, the more notoriety the island will get,” says Clarissa Buma, director of Statia’s National Park.