Aruba-Curaçao ferry service delayed: "Curaçao still has to find the money"

WILLEMSTAD - The ferry service between Aruba and Curaçao should have been there already, but the project is not progressing because of the lack of funds. Aruba says that it has the necessary funds already, but Curaçao does not yet have it.

This is according to the Aruban Minister of Transport, Chris Romero. Incidentally, it concerns "small amounts", he reports. For Aruba it is about 200 thousand guilders (a little more than 100 thousand dollars) and that money is now available. But Romero says:

“Curaçao is still looking for funds so that we can continue with the project.”

The letter of intent for the fast ferry was signed last December with Romero and the then Curaçao Minister of Economic Development (MEO) Steven Martina, who resigned in February. Since then, the tender for the ferry has been with the Minister of Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning, Zita Leito-Jesus. When asked, Minister Leito-Jesus said that she was still waiting for an update from the Ministry of Economic Development (MEO).

Another thing that still needs to be done is that both countries must conclude an agreement on the service and decide which company may perform the ferry service. The ferry must be able to carry around 800 people and 300 cars. It would therefore be possible to travel to the other islands with a local identity card, the sedula, instead of a passport.

Lower travel fare but also challenges regarding illegal immigrants

In 2017, research agency Icasus Caribbean concluded that an ABC ferry can be economically profitable. The research office assumes a travel fare that costs around half a plane ticket. We see opportunities in the economic field, but also challenges about crime and illegal immigrants. Another bottleneck is finding a suitable ferry. Few fast ferries are suitable for sailing in this region due to sea currents, said the researchers in their report.




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