Last Updated on Tuesday, 9 January 2024, 9:32 by Denis Chabrol
A regional ferry system may be on the horizon to journey through Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. However, despite reports of a new company being established for this ferry service last week, no company has yet been formed, the Trinidad Guardian reported on Tuesday.
Speaking during a signing of the agreement for the construction of a bridge in Guyana on Friday, its president Dr Irfaan Ali announced, “Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados has formed the first company, has formed a joint company that work to the introduction of a ferry system for passenger and cargo between Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados.”
When Demerara Waves Online News contacted President Ali almost immediately after his announcement for details about the name of the company, its directors, place of registration, ownership, private sector involvement, among other questions, he said, “we are now at planning stage. Technical team meeting.”
While this proclamation has been making its waves regionally, other regional heads were not in the same boat.
Clearing the air yesterday, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne said this was not the case. Not yet at least.
Speaking to Guardian Media yesterday, Browne said the possibility of establishing a regional maritime transportation service is in the works but discussions are still taking place.
He said in the next month, all three governments will have more to say on the subject matter.
“There’s some news coming out of Guyana which was not entirely accurate and which according to Guyana’s authorities misquoted the president of Guyana. The headline coming out of Guyana was absolutely misleading … No company has yet been launched but the governments are in active discussion and there is planning taking place as to the best arrangement by which this service can be provided.”
“There’s no signatures of any company and all of that. That was a bit of misinformation but we’re getting very close,” he added.
The Minister said this conversation isn’t new as there have been talks around a ferry for maritime transport within Caricom for some time.
He said the conversation was refreshed during the Agri-Food Investment Forum and Expo held in Guyana last October.
Talks were further advanced during the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government Caricom which took place in Trinidad between July 3 to 5, 2023.
Guardian Media spoke to several regional heads during the summit last July and several of them liked the idea of having a regional fast ferry.
However, before the meeting, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley during an exclusive interview made available to Guardian Media suggested that Caricom invest in single-hull, slower vessels instead of a fast ferry.
Nonetheless, Browne emphasised having such a ferry was a very important initiative and is linked to the food security needs of the Caribbean Community.
He said the government is very much involved in the planning and the discussions with its Guyanese and Barbadian counterparts.
And added that when the discussions are made, legal entities including Attorney General Regional Armour, SC, will have to be involved.
Attempts to contact Armour were futile yesterday.
Guardian Media also reached out to Ali but up to late evening, there was no response.
However, in Barbados, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and senior minister coordinating the Productive Sector, Kerrie Symmonds, said he was also unaware of any company being formed.
Symmonds said, “I wasn’t even aware it had been formed yet. I think you may be being a bit premature though.”
Symmonds was at the time preparing to travel to T&T to attend the funeral of former prime minister Basdeo Panday.
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