THE BOTTOM, SABA — Island Governor Jonathan Johnson on Wednesday, November 10, called with the Caribbean Netherlands Customs Department and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMAR) concerning the new ferry schedule. The two services want to facilitate the Public Entities Saba and St. Eustatius in the connectivity of the two islands.
The services indicated that they are tied to a regulation stipulating that opening times of the border are from 7 AM until 7 PM. The Island Governor confirmed that talks continue to take place with the KMAR and Customs Department to look proactively at possible solutions for the issue so the new ferry service can start as soon as possible.
During a conference on illegal immigration October 28, 2021, Johnson already spoke with a number of services, including the KMAR, about the issues of border control. He noted at the conference that he was subjected to border control during his recent trip to St. Eustatius, and thought it remarkable that he was checked while travelling from one part of the Netherlands to the other. He pointed out that there is no border control between the Frisian islands of Terschelling and Ameland. The KMAR agreed with the Island Governor that this situation was indeed strange.
To address the issue of the Immigration and Customs controls between the islands and the limited opening hours of the border control, the Public Entity Saba, together with the Public Entity St. Eustatius, will send a request to the involved ministries in The Hague.
