Wuite is next MP to ask about new ferry service

Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Jorien Wuite of the Democratic Party D66 wants to know if there was any coordination between the ministries in The Hague about the logis­tics of the new ferry service between St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Saba and St. Kitts.

The Member of Parliament (MP) of St. Maarten de­scent on Monday submitted written questions to Dutch caretaker State Secretary of Home Affairs and King­dom Relations Raymond Knops and caretaker Minis­ter of Infrastructure and Water Management Barbara Visser.

This is the second set of questions with regard to the delayed ferry service. Last Friday, MP Aukje de Vries of the liberal democratic VVD party sought clarity about the cause of the delay of the Makana ferry ser­vice which initially was planned for November 1, but which may not start until December 1, 2021.

Wuite asked the minister and state secretary to con­firm whether the new service indeed could not start on the planned date because the Caribbean Netherlands Customs Department and the Netherlands Royal Marechaussce didn’t have sufficient personnel and/or the services were insufficiently or too late prepared. “Has there been coordination between the involved ministries to prepare for the start of the ferry service, and what did this coordination consist of? How did the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations give content to its role as coordinating ministry?” Wuite asked.

“How do you explain that from the side of the Nation­al Government Service Caribbean Netherlands RCN, in which the involved ministries are represented, did not spring into action before? What was the role of the acting Government Commissioner in this?”

Wuite wanted to know if Knops and Visser shared her view that the suggestions of the services to adapt the ferry schedule to the working hours of these services didn’t offer a solution and that the subsidy of two mil­lion euros of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management only achieves its goal if there is an af­fordable alternative for the high air transport tariffs by realising same-day return service.

In concluding Wuite asked: “Are you willing to do every possible thing to ensure that the ferry service can start per December 1, or earlier, and what steps are you taking to see to this?”

The Dailly Herald.