THE BOTTOM/ORANJESTAD- Saba and St. Eustatius on Sunday together celebrated a historic moment with the inaugural of the Makana ferry service.

Statia Government officials came to Saba on board of the ferry in the morning hours and after the customary speeches, the tokens of appreciation and a prayer, the Public Entities St. Eustatius and Saba and ferry operator Blues and Blues signed the Public Service Obligation (PSO) sealing the commitment for the new ferry service which will greatly add to the connectivity of the two islands.  

Joint venture

“For the past year-and-a-half, the Public Entities St. Eustatius and Saba worked closely together to make this service a reality. By working together in this joint venture, we made an effort to understand each other’s needs and concerns. We understood that each one’s success depended on the effort of the other. Together we held up the sky so we both could reap the reward,” said Statia Government Commissioner Alida Francis, who came to Saba with a group of 25 invited guests from St. Eustatius.

Travel possibilities

“This morning, we welcome the Makana ferry to Saba and officially inaugurate a pilot project that will improve connectivity between Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten, and eventually to St. Kitts. This ferry project, which is subsidized by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), has been in the pipeline for several months. Now that we are in a position to finally start this new service will enhance our affordable travel possibilities between our sister islands, while providing a much-needed boost to our tourism product and our economy,” said Saba Commissioner of Infrastructure, Harbor Affairs and Tourism Bruce Zagers in his speech.