Trinidad offers temporary ferry to ease cost of living in several CARICOM member states

Last Updated on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, 17:36 by Writer

Trinidad and Tobago would be providing a ferry temporarily to transport mainly cargo among several sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member nations to help reduce the cost of living, as oil prices continue to fluctuate mainly due to conflicts in the Middle East, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley said on Wednesday.

“This is a work in progress, and it also involves the fact that some ports in the southern Caribbean – and this is the proof of concept – will first be in the southern and eastern Caribbean, but it requires us to also assess whatever infrastructural arrangements might be needed at the port, or whether ramps can be used,” Ms Mottley, who is responsible for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy in the regional quasi-cabinet, told a news conference to wrap up the 51st regular CARICOM Summit that was held in St Lucia from July 5 to 8.

She said Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar offered her colleagues one of five ferries pending the private sector’s efforts to obtain a vessel of its own within another year.

The Barbadian leader said she would soon be holding talks with Ms Persad-Bissessar and the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Godwin Friday “to see how best we can utilize one of the Trinidad vessels as a proof of concept while the private sector procures.”

Ms Mottley said she would be working with colleague leaders to formulate treaty arrangements for mutual recognition of licenses and insurance to allow cargo vehicles to move from one member state to another.

She hoped that regulations could be put in place within the next three months.

The CARICOM Chairman, St Lucia’s Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre, remarked that regional leaders made progress with establishing the regional ferry service.

“We also accelerated work towards establishing an affordable intra-regional ferry service that will improve travel, facilitate trade, strengthen food security, and make our community more connected,” he said.

Since Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali had in April 2023 publicly stated that “we are going to look at CARICOM to work with India on finding the solution for regional shipping needs because shipping is an important part of what we need to move CARICOM forward”, nothing else had been heard about that idea.

Ms Mottley said CARICOM leaders had agreed to share among themselves what their governments had been doing to cushion the impact of spiralling cost of fuel and food by adjusting several taxes and providing allowances and increasing the rate of welfare.

Guyana has removed all of the excise tax on fuel at the pumps and continues to subsidise fuel to the state-owned Guyana Power and Light, and Guyana Water Incorporated to keep the cost of those utilities at 2020 levels.