CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The marine tourism sector is booming in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Yacht chartering directly contributed $88 million to the territory’s economy in 2021. This figure is forecasted to be higher in 2022. To meet the USVI’s growing need for a marine workforce and enable young Virgin Islanders to fill these positions and […]
Tag: Maritime News
Dominica-Flagged Cargo Ship Sinks In Ukrainian Port City After Russian Attack
ROSEAU — A Dominica-flagged cargo ship sank in the besieged southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol after being targeted by Russian missile strikes, the vessel’s flag registry said. The Azburg was believed to have been without cargo and at berth in Mariupol when it was initially hit by two missiles on April 3, the Dominica […]
Florida Cruise Association Inks Strategic Development Agreement For USVI Ferry
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has signed a strategic development agreement with the territory that is focused on increasing the economic impact of cruise tourism in the destination in 2022., as first reported in Cruise & Ferry. The agreement will provide the U.S. Virgin Islands with access to the members of the […]
Cruise Ship With Thousands On Board Runs Aground On Its Way To St. Thomas and BVI
SANTO DOMINGO — Officials in the Dominican Republic have confirmed that a large cruise ship had run aground off the Caribbean island nation’s north coast shortly after leaving the port of Puerto Plata. According to local media, the ship is the Norwegian Escape, with some 3,000 tourists and 1,600 crew on board. “For the moment, […]
Russia-Owned SCF Oil Tankers Headed Through Caribbean To Avoid Being Seized
NASSAU — Two oil tankers owned and managed by Sovcomflot, the Russian maritime and freight shipping company blacklisted by the United States last week, are rerouting from their Canadian destinations, while a third is returning to Russia after discharging, according to tracking data and marine sources. The two tankers are the first Russian-owned oil vessels […]
Bryan’s USVI Open Ship Registry Scheme Faces Stiff Opposition From Maritime Unions, Courts
WASHINGTON — While he was in Washington, D.C., for the National Governors Association conference and other meetings with a number of federal officials, Governor Albert Bryan signed a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with the Northeast Maritime Institute to implement a maritime initiative that will make the U.S. Virgin Islands the first international open ship registry in the United States. […]
DPW Gets $5.1 Million Grant For Passenger Ferry Service Between St. Thomas and St. John
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Virgin Islands Department of Public Works (DPW) is among 11 State agencies chosen as grant winners, for the Federal Transit Administration’s 2021 Passenger Ferry Grant Program. DPW will be awarded $5.1 million to purchase a new 100-foot. ferry, which is expected to improve service reliability and accommodate increased ridership along the […]
USVI Flag Open Ship Registry Announcement To Be Made By Governor In Washington
WASHINGTON — In what some maritime experts are calling “the most historic moment for U.S. maritime interests this century,” Governor Albert Bryan will announce a new U.S. flag open ship registry next week. Governor Bryan is set to make this historic announcement while attending the National Governor’s Conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a […]
Coast Guard Collects 38 Illegal Migrants In Mona Passage, Takes Them Back To DR
SAN JUAN — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos repatriated 38 migrants to the Dominican Republic Friday, following the interdiction of an illegal voyage Thursday in Mona Passage waters near Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico. The interdiction is the result of ongoing efforts by Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG) partner agencies to combat illegal […]
Coast Guard Cutter Services 23 Buoys At 8 Maritime Ports In Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN — The Coast Guard Cutter Willow completed a twelve-day mission Wednesday servicing 23 critical aids to navigation (AToN) across eight maritime ports in Puerto Rico. The crew of the cutter Willow serviced AToN in the ports of San Juan, Mayaguez, Tallaboa, Ponce, Guanica, Ceiba, Culebra and in the southwest pass of Vieques, Puerto […]