The Bottom, Saba- A new ferry service between St. Maarten and Saba will start this Thursday.

The Big B ferry of the St. Maarten ferry operator Blue Peter Charters will service Saba on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The ferry service will be a pilot program for the next three months, after which the operator will decide if it is feasible to continue. The other two ferries, Dawn II and Edge will also continue with their regular schedule, so this means that during these three months, there will be a daily connection between St. Maarten and Saba.

Big B will overnight on Saba on Sunday and depart for St. Maarten at 8:30am where it arrives at 10:00am. On Thursday and Saturday, Big B will depart St. Maarten at 10:00am and arrive on Saba at 11:30am. On Friday, Big B leaves St. Maarten at 3:30pm and arrive on Saba at 5:00pm. On Sunday, Big B will depart St. Maarten at 4:45 and arrive on Saba at 6:15pm where it will overnight in order to return to St. Maarten the next morning.

Dawn II continues to run between St. Maarten and Saba on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Edge services Saba on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The added service by Big B and having a ferry schedule with three operating ferries will provide convenient options for day trips and weekend stay-overs on both Saba and St. Maarten.

Information about the schedules of the three ferry operators can be found via www.greatbayferry.com, www.stmaarten-activities.com and www.sabaseatransport.com.

The inaugural voyage from St. Maarten to Saba will take this Thursday morning. A small delegation from Saba will be on board. Big B is a 130 feet vessel. It is licensed to carry 230 passengers and has two levels. Big B for the first time came to Saba as a charter service late July 2017 during the Carnival weekend.