News

The new RAAK PRO Diadema project aims to restore the pop­ulation of the long-spined sea urchin populations (Diadem antillanim) on the coral reefs around Saba and St. Eustatius. This particular urchin was once the most important herbi­vore on Caribbean coral reefs until more than 95 per cent of the sea …

KNMI ADVISORY MESSAGE Date: Sunday September 22, 2019  Time: 23:07 local time Key Messages / Watches and warnings: – At 11 PM on Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Karen was located around 310 miles (500 km) south of Saba/Statia. – Karen is moving toward the west-northwest and is expected to turn …

State Secretary Knops (Interior and Kingdom Relations) will pay a working visit to St. Eustatius, Saba and St. Maarten from Sunday,  September 22nd  till Wednesday, September 25th . During his visit to St. Eustatius there will be a town hall meeting on Monday. The State Secretary will then give an …

A Tropical Storm Watch for Hurricane Jerry remains in effect for Saba and St. Eustatius. Local authori­ties and residents of Saba and Statia were advised to continue monitoring the further progress of this weather system and to take all necessary measures to safeguard life and property. On Thursday morning, Hurricane …

The renovation and expansion project of Saba’s Juancho Yrausquin Airport has been completed, apart from a from the installation of the screening equipment which will be done at a later time. The bulk of the airport project, paid for by the Dutch Government, took place in September 2018, and started …

With focus on good governance and the wellbeing of the people, the Dutch government has allocated about 388 mil­lion euros for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in 2020. This is 24 million euros more than in 2019. The increase is the result of measures announced in the course of 2019. …

Rene Zwart has announced that he will stop the website “Koninkrijksrelaties.nu” immediately. The site has been an excellent source of background information about what is happening behind the scene. He reported about those issues that otherwise would have never seen the daylight. Although the site published in Dutch, it had …

The renovation works at the Sacred Heart Primary School (SHS) and the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) went well, as did the project to construct a parking lot next to the schools at St. John’s. Commissioner of Education, Finance and Public Works Bruce Zagers said there only remained some work to …

Weather Saba & Sint Eustatius Tropical Cyclone Bulletin TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN NO. 1 INFORMATION MESSAGE NO. 1 Date: Tuesday September 17, 2019  Time: 11:42 local time Key Messages / Watches and warnings: -Tropical depression Ten (1250 mi ESE of Saba/Statia) will develop and is expected to move as a Hurricane …

Jerome Mathew, Philbert Ryner, both of the Public Works Department, and Head of Economic Affairs of the Public Entity Saba Dave Levenstone successfully completed an extensive weights and measurements training facilitated by the Radio Communications Agency (‘Agentschap Telecom’) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK). The training took …

The Stichting Katholiek Onderwijs Saba Board of Sacred Heart School is exploring the possibility of a local Bachelor in Education course in co-operation with teacher training institute IPA (Instituto Pedagogico Arubano). Brief description local Bachelor of Education course program: • The language of instruction will be English • The course …

The Public Entity Saba organized a crisis management training on Thursday, September 12, with local authorities and members of the European Union Civil Protection Team EUCPT. During the so-called table top training, titled the Caribbean Coast Evacuation Saba, participants discussed the many logistic aspects that are involved in the event …

Invasive species specialist Pete Haverson from England is currently on Saba to help with the drafting of a goat controlling plan. Haverson, who arrived on Saba on Wednesday, September 11 and will stay on the island until Sunday, September 15, has been requested by the Public Entity Saba to assist …

Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament At­tje Kuiken of the Labour Party PvdA is seeking clar­ity from the Dutch gov­ernment on the alarming report of the National Om­budsman about the severe poverty situation of many elderly persons in the Ca­ribbean Netherlands. Kuiken submitted written questions to State …

On Thursday September 12, a European Union Civil Protection Team (EU CPT) will be on Saba for a training in case of an emergency on the island. In the morning hours of September 12, the team members will be performing damage assessments during an exercise. They will be clearly visible, …

Elderly who live on or below the poverty threshold in the Caribbean Netherlands face several problems. They have too little money to cover their basic needs, there are too few (care) facilities and they do not know which ar­rangements they are eligible for. That is the conclusion of National Ombudsman …

Officials of the Caribbean Netherlands Health Insurance Office ZVK met with the Executive Council and Island Council on Monday, September 9, 2019. The future merger of ZVK with the Caribbean Netherlands Youth Care and Family Guardianship JGCN, the upcoming townhall meeting on Saba and logistical matters were discussed. ZVK Director …

“Sharing is caring” has been the ada­gio of the network in voca­tional education between St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba in the past three years. The network has already resulted in two inter-island conferences at which profes­sionals in vocational educa­tion shared their experiences and gained inspiration. The C-vet committee, con­sisting …

The Caribbean Netherlands once again recorded a rise in consumer purchasing power in 2017. With a median 2.6 percent increase, the highest gain was on St Eustatius. Mainly low-income households benefited there, due to the additional increase in minimum wages and social benefits in 2017. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this …

The Red Cross branch on Saba has a new board. Antonio Hughes and Janet Wilson welcomed three new members on the board. Mark Zagers joined as its treasurer, Marva Simmons as the new secretary and Gerald Simmons–de Jong as its new chairman. Hughes and Wilson will stay on as board …

On Tuesday, September 3 and Wednesday, September 4, some 20 employees of the Public Entity Saba took part in a short customer service course which focused on how to deal with difficult people and situations. The course, which covered two half days, was facilitated by Dr. Natasha Gittens and Catherine …

Three persons of the Public Entity Saba are currently in the Netherlands for a weights and measurements training facilitated by the Radio Communications Agency (‘Agentschap Telecom’) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK). Head of Economic Affairs of the Public Entity Dave Levenstone, and Jerome Mathew and Philbert …

In the past days Hurricane Dorian has caused extensive damage across the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in the Bahamas, according to rapid initial assessments from authorities and Red Cross officials on the ground. Many people on Saba remember how bad it was to go through such a disaster. …

The Mount Scenery Nature Park has acquired the national park status on a regional, national and international level. Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Carola Schouten signed the official document at the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) on Monday, September 2, in the presence of Island Governor Jonathan Johnson. The …

On Saturday, September 1st , a “hit and run” was reported at The Sandy Road where a car hit a scooter. The driver of the scooter complained of problems with his legs. KPCN.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the Netherlands has called upon Minister of Agricul­ture, Nature and Food Quality, Carola Schouten to take action to save the dying coral reefs in the Caribbean Netherlands. The minister is visiting Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire this week. The reefs around these islands are dying …

Christina “Teacher Kriss” Timber-Glover received the Prince Bernhard Cul­ture Fund Caribbean (PB­CFC) performing arts award during a ceremony at Ocean View Terrace bar and restaurant on Sat­urday. The same honours were bestowed upon Saban artist Heleen Cornet in the visual-arts category on Au­gust 23. Prince Bernhard Fund representative for St. …

Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, Raymond Knops said on Tuesday that he was assess­ing the possibilities with the Dutch banking sector to en­able residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to make use of digital banking ser­vices. The State Secretary stated this in response to writ­ten …

With the turning of a spade, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Carola Schouten and Commissioner of Agricultural and Social Affairs and Public Health Roland Wilson performed the groundbreaking for the Rendezvous Farm project on Monday, September 2. As part of this agricultural project, financed by the Dutch government, …

Commissioner of Public Health, Social Affairs, Agricultural Affairs and Cultural Affairs Rolando Wilson, Head of the Planning Bureau Bobby Zagers and Head of the Agricultural Department, Vector Control and Hygiene Randall Johnson are leaving on Tuesday, September 3, for a working visit to Bonaire. The delegation starts the day on Wednesday, …

Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Carola Schouten arrived on Saba on Sunday. She will stay on the island until Tuesday during which time she visits the various agricultural projects, the harbor, the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) and have a meeting with both the Executive Council and the Island …

BES reporter published that, according to Peter Hartman, chairman of the committee looking into ways to make air travel between the Dutch Caribbean islands more affordable, a possible solution is now within reach. Hartman says the ball is now in the court of Dutch Politics when it comes to the …

The Island Council will be visiting Bonaire from Tuesday, September 3 to Saturday, September 7. Bonaire’s national holiday, Bonaire Day on Friday, September 6 is the main reason for the visit, but the Saba delegation will also have a number of meetings and pay some working visits. The five-member delegation, …

The Island Council will be visiting Bonaire from Tuesday, September 3 to Saturday, September 7. Bonaire’s national holiday, Bonaire Day on Friday, September 6 is the main reason for the visit, but the Saba delegation will also have a number of meetings and pay some working visits. The five-member delegation, …

The tropical storm watch imposed Monday for Tropical Storm Dorian has been discontinued. the Royal Netherlands Meteoro­logical Institute KNMI said in its advisory bulletin of late Tuesday afternoon. According to the weather bu­reau for the Caribbean Nether­lands, the risk of tropical-storm conditions affecting Saba and St. Eustatius is very small — less …

Carola Schouten, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, will visit the Caribbean Netherlands from September 2nd to September 6th, 2019. The visit is aimed at strengthening mutual collaboration and the progress of various projects in the area of agricultural and horticultural development, nature conservation and fishing in Saba, St. Eustatius …

Stichting Ocan’s project officers are excited to conduct a series of consultation sessions on Saba and St. Eustatius slated for the period of  October 3rd   thru October 5th 2019. The purpose of these sessions will be to inform of, stimulate and review project ideas and project plans by persons and …

Since 2010, the circumstances under which the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force KPCN has to work have changed: the population on the islands has grown, more tourists are visiting and vio­lence/crime has increased. Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Ferd Grapper­haus stated this in a letter that he sent to the …

The Dutch Navy, Air Force and Army will all be participating in a “Caribbean Coast” hu­manitarian assistance exer­cise in St. Maarten, St. Eu­statius, Saba, Curacao and Bonaire, September 9-19. The training will also ad­dress structuring good cri­sis communication as well as maintaining order and security in case of a natural …

Researchers of the National Om­budsman for the Caribbean Netherlands will be available in Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire to assist people with any problems they may have with the government. There will be consultation hours, the researchers will visit people’s homes to discuss the problems they have and, wher­ever possible, …