For years, the editorial board of Curaçao Chronicle has maintained a quiet rule: we would not get carried away by the endless promises of a ferry between Curaçao and Aruba.
The reason is simple. We have heard this story before. Many times.
Every few years, the same headlines return. Studies. Announcements. Committees. Promises. Yet the ferry never comes.
Sources within the maritime and aviation sectors have repeatedly told us that the project is far more complex than governments often suggest. A ferry is not simply a boat that sails between two islands. It requires a long chain of systems to function: licensing, maritime regulation, immigration control, customs procedures, port infrastructure, safety oversight and commercial viability.
And then there is the economic reality.
Airlines currently serving the route — such as regional carriers like Divi Divi Air and Z Air — rely heavily on passenger traffic between the islands. A ferry could reduce that demand significantly. That does not mean it should not happen, but it does mean the transition would affect an existing aviation ecosystem.
These are not small details. They are the reasons why the ferry has remained an idea for so long.
Yet despite all of this skepticism, Curaçao Chronicle continues to report on the ferry whenever new developments appear. And that raises an honest question: if we doubt it, why keep writing about it?
Because hope still exists.
Travel between the ABC islands is, quite frankly, too expensive. Round-trip flights often cost between $270 and $345 and can climb much higher depending on timing and demand, even though the flight itself lasts barely forty minutes.
For families, students, entrepreneurs and ordinary travelers, this creates a real barrier between islands that are supposed to be natural partners.
A well-run ferry service could change that. It could open the door to more tourism, stronger economic integration and easier movement of people within the region.
But only if it works.
The success of any ferry will ultimately depend on one thing above all: price. If ferry tickets are not significantly cheaper than flights, the project will struggle to attract passengers.
That is why the latest development is interesting.
Aruba and Curaçao have now launched a tender to hire a consultant who will guide the process of establishing a passenger ferry connection between the islands. The consultant will examine economic, legal and technical feasibility before preparing the tender for an operator.
In other words, the governments are finally beginning with the question that should have been asked from the start: can this actually work?
The timeline suggests the process will take time. A ferry operator is not expected to be selected until early 2027.
That may frustrate some people. But perhaps that is exactly what this project needs — realism instead of promises.
At Curaçao Chronicle we remain cautious. History gives us every reason to be.
But we also remain hopeful.
Because if there is one project that could truly bring the ABC islands closer together, it is not another committee, another study, or another speech.
It is a ferry that finally sails.