Editor’s Note: Since this story was posted Wednesday night, VIPA has made the rates available. Click here to view the rates.
St. John residents are waiting anxiously to hear the details regarding a slate of fee increases proposed by the Virgin Islands Port Authority.
The new fees will affect businesses, residents and visitors throughout the territory, but they’re likely to have the greatest effect on St. John residents and businesses who depend on ferries and barges for critical services.
Details regarding the fees have not been made available, but VIPA plans to hold meetings on all three islands next week to present its proposals.
The meetings will take place on St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the following dates:
- St. John: Oct. 6 at the Cleone Creque Legislative Hall in Cruz Bay.
- St. Thomas: Oct. 7 at the VIPA Administrative Building’s conference room at 8074 Lindbergh Bay.
- St. Croix: Oct. eight at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport Terminal, Port Authority conference room on the second floor.
According to Monifa Marrero-Brathwaite, VIPA’s public information officer, the presentations will cover:
Proposed Adjustments to Existing Fees:
- Red Hook Barge Ramp Fees
- BVI International Per Passenger Ship Dues & Wharfage
- Docking Fees
- Pilotage Fees
- Parking Rates at the Urman V. Fredericks Marine Terminal, Red Hook
Proposed New Fees:
- Red Hook Barge Ramp Additional Passenger Fee for Non-Drivers
- Cargo Overflow Staging Fee
- A paid parking system at VIPA’s parking lot at the Victor Sewer Marine Facility in Cruz Bay. (The lot across from the post office)
Myrtle Barry, a St. John business owner and community activist, wondered whether the Port Authority is truly open to discussing the proposed fees at the meetings. “Is this a public hearing,” she asked, “or has all of this already been decided?”
Barry said increased fees to the ferry and barge companies are likely to be passed on to passengers. “On St. John, we have to travel to St. Thomas to go to a hospital, a courthouse, and to get basic government services. If I’m buying a ferry ticket, won’t the increased port fees be reflected in the price? And if I’m traveling to the BVI, I’m being hit with two more increases, a docking fee and an international passenger fee.”
“The increases will be a burden on all of us,” said Delrise Varlack, general manager of Varlack Ventures, one of two ferry companies that share the franchise for operations between Cruz Bay and Red Hook.
Varlack said she has not seen details of the proposed increases and couldn’t speculate on whether ferry ticket prices would be increased. The Public Services Commission sets the prices for ferry tickets based on a complex set of calculations, she said, and the commission would have to implement a rate investigation if the ferry companies didn’t absorb the fees.
“People will blame the rate increases on us,” she continued. “I know Port Authority needs to generate funding to maintain the facilities, but St. John is seen as a cash cow.”
Ferry ticket prices vary depending on whether the passenger is a commuter, a resident, a senior or a student. The Education Department currently covers the tickets for students and teachers who commute between St. Thomas and St. John, and Varlack wondered who would be responsible for the additional fee increases for them.
One barge company official also said she didn’t know any details about the proposed rate increases. They haven’t told us anything yet,” said Anecia Sewer, vice president and CEO of Love City Car Ferries. “But St. John doesn’t have a dialysis center or a public high school. I can’t see how the government can do this to the people of St. John,” she said.
Sewer said her company has tried to keep barge fares low, but after 15 years at the same rate, Love City Car Ferries raised the round-trip rate from $50 to $65 last year. She said small businesses depend on barges to bring goods from St. Thomas to St. John, so an increase in barge fees would inevitably lead to higher prices for everything from groceries to lumber.
Perhaps most upsetting to St. John residents is the proposal to start charging for parking across the street from the post office at the lot next to the U.S. Customs facility — officially called the Victor Sewer Marine Facility.
When he announced the implementation of parking fees at the gravel lot near the barge terminal in 2019, Carlton Dowe, executive director of the Port Authority, defended the move by saying free short-term parking would remain available at the Customs lot.
VIPA officials say charging for parking at the Victor Sewer Marine terminal lot would benefit St. John residents because people would no longer be able to grab a spot and park for days or weeks at a time. But locals depend on parking — or double parking there — when they run into the post office or wait for passengers who are coming off the ferry.
“There would be no (free) parking left in Cruz Bay!” said Barry. She also opposes the plan to charge for passengers in cars that are transported by barges. “The fee is now based on the car size. Now you’re going inside my car to nickel and dime my passengers? That’s ridiculous,” she added.
No doubt there will be a big turnout for the upcoming meetings, especially the one on St. John on Oct. 6.
Stakeholders can also participate in the meetings via Zoom by registering online at www.viport.com/events. VIPA’s current marine tariff can be downloaded from its website at www.viport.com/rates-statistics. For any questions, please contact the authority’s public relations office at 340-774-1629 ext. 6640 or email info@viport.com.
