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Montserrat, Antigua & Barbuda move to a long term ferry solution

Posted by CaribShout on November 7, 2009 at 10:20pm
BRADES, Montserrat (OCM) -- The Montserrat-Antigua travel route will undergo a major enhancement with the addition of a long term ferry service in January 2010. Sailing under the name Fjortoft, the new ferry will be operated jointly by the government of Montserrat, the government of Antigua, and the Barbuda Island Council, and is a 101-seater vessel capable to 28 knots. The ferry sails from Southampton, England on November 17, and will arrive in St Thomas, USVI, on December 6. The first sailing will take place in early 2010 as the ferry will go through its final checks to be commissioned and licensed in St Kitts during the last two weeks of December. The government of Montserrat moved to cover the high travel period in December by contracting a short term ferry, similar to last year. This service will begin on December 2 and will be for at least six weeks. These arrangements were spearheaded by Charles Kirnon, Minister of Communications and Works with assistance from the interim access coordinator, Oral Martin and members of the recently formed access committee. The ferry has the potential to move up to 400 persons per week on regularly scheduled service, a number that translates into over 20,000 persons per year. These additional seats will help to boost the economy, especially the vital tourism sector including day tours, one of the island’s newest businesses.
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