MONTSERRAT – The Jaden Sun vessel arrived after the Government of Montserrat and the ferry owners, Jaden Inc. of St. Vincent signed a contract for the resumption of ferry service between Montserrat and Antigua.
The Jaden Sun can carry a maximum of 218 passengers. The maiden passenger trip will be on Friday, December 2, following a familiarization trip with guests to “test run” the route.
Montserrat has been without the vital ferry service since the previous contract with the St. Kitts owners/operators of the Caribe Sun expired at the end of March. Since then the process to resume a ferry service has been bogged down in an administrative and political quagmire with both Montserrat and DfID (UK Department for International Development) officials contributing to what has turned out to be a very regrettable state of affairs.
It’s significant that one UK expert recruited to advise on the procurement of a new ferry service had to be relieved of his duties.
One can only hope that lessons have been learnt and that the arrival of the Jaden Sun to resume the ferry service, could signal a new phase and trigger new momentum in the post-volcano redevelopment of Montserrat.
“Enough is enough, and enough time (and money?) have been wasted. Let today, Thursday, December 1, 2016 mark a new beginning,” a release stated.
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