The coming season will be the last in the Virgin Islands for the venerable SS Norway, but it will be the first for the Disney Magic and five other cruise ships, and a banner year overall for the passenger ports of both St. Thomas and St. Croix.
That was the news Tuesday afternoon from the West Indian Co. in a release previewing the 2000-2001 winter season and offering a peek at the 2001-2002 year.
Coming calls by more megaships and shifts in scheduling to have more evenly distributed "busy cruise ship days" appear to bode well for merchants and purveyors of goods and services to the day-trippers.
"The toughest challenge was to finalize an unprecedented agreement with the Disney corporation," WICO president Edward E. Thomas said in the release. "In the final analysis, WICO received a written commitment from the corporation for ship calls through the end of Summer 2002, in exchange for protecting the special Disney trademarks and logo."
The Disney Magic will make its first St. Thomas call two weeks from now, on Wednesday, Aug. 16, and will visit weekly thereafter. The other vessels scheduled to make their first visits to the territory in coming months are the Carnival Victory (Oct. 26), Explorer of the Seas (Nov. 1), Amsterdam (Nov. 2), Costa Atlantica (Nov. 29) and Millennium (Nov. 30).
Between Oct. 1 and April 30 of next year, 849 ship calls are projected for St. Thomas and St. John, up from 703 for the comparable period last season. With the 146 additional visits and some changes in scheduling, the WICO release stated, "Thursdays will now be as busy" as Wednesdays have been in recent years.
The number 146 is significant in another sense, too: That's how many calls are scheduled in the coming season at the Crown Bay marina — the most ever there.
St. Croix will see a significant increase in ship calls, too — with a projected total of 142, up 22 percent from the 116 last season. The first to call at Frederiksted's Ann E. Abramson Port Facility in the fall will be the Galaxy, on Oct. 22. The Carnival Victory will replace the line's Destiny, starting Oct. 25, "creating the atmosphere for Harbor Night celebrations once again," the WICO release stated.
The release also said that work is ahead of schedule on widening the WICO pier by 20 feet and "encapsulating" the 770 feet of the bulkhead, with completion expected by the end of September. "The encapsulation work specifically is geared for the new generation of vessels that use the podded system of propulsion," the release stated.
The largest such vessel that will be operating in the Eastern Caribbean in the coming season is the Explorer of the Seas, which is to make its inaugural call at the WICO dock on Nov. 1.
The Norway, a year-round fixture on Wednesdays or Thursdays since the 1980s in the St. Thomas outer harbor, and more recently in Cruz Bay as well, will make its last calls in the Virgin Islands next April 4. Then it will move to a Western Caribbean itinerary, still sailing out of Miami but making stops at Grand Cayman and Cozumel along with Great Stirrup Cay, the private island owned by Norwegian Caribbean Cruises.
Thomas and WICO operations manager Alfred Lloyd finalized the plans for the coming season in a series of meetings on the U.S. mainland recently with representatives of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association member lines operating ships that call at V.I. ports.
Thomas expressed satisfaction that Holland America Lines will operate nine of its 10 ships in the Caribbean, with seven calling regularly at St. Thomas and St. John. And, he said, Princess Cruises will return four of its "grand class" vessels to St. Thomas — the Ocean Princess, Sun Princess, Dawn Princess and Grand Princess — while all three of the Carnival Cruise Lines supermega-ships — Destiny, Victory and Triumph — will be regular Virgin Islands visitors.
The release noted that WICO and Port Authority officials met in Miami with members of the FCCA's Operations Committee to discuss a recent study of the feasibility of expanding the Crown Bay docking facilities. The findings of the study, funded jointly by WICO, the Port Authority and the FCCA, were inconclusive, it said. The Port Authority board voted recently to commission another study, at its own expense, on the prospects for accommodating even larger ships.
As far as what's to come in the following year, "A cursory glance into the fall of 2001 reveals that there will be at least four new ships again, thus making the issue of creative scheduling a major topic for discussion and planning with the member lines of the FCCA at the upcoming conference in Panama Oct. 3-7," the WICO statement said.

Beginning Oct. 1, people transporting non-commercial vehicles between St. Thomas and St. John by barge will pay an extra $2.50 each way to the V.I. Port Authority for the privilege.
Last August, the Port Authority board passed several measures to increase revenues. The $2.50 "wharfage fee" will finally be implemented, according to Port Authority spokeswoman Shirley L. Smith.
The fees will be collected at the Red Hook side for barging in both directions.
A chain link fence will be erected along the Port Authority's Red Hook cargo dock in preparation for the fee collections. Work on the fence is slated to begin this week. The Port Authority office shed that sits on the ferry dock will be relocated between the two barge ramps at the eastern end of the Port Authority's property.
Smith said the fence would not interfere with the parking lot operated by East End Taxi Service adjacent to the Port Authority cargo facility.
There is no plan to sell books of tickets to frequent barge users, but this might be considered later, Smith said.
According to Gordon Finch, Port Authority executive director, the fees are earmarked to help fund two long-planned marine developments: the Enighed Pond cargo facility on St. John and a Red Hook marine facility on St. Thomas.
The cost of the Enighed Pond project is estimated at $16 million. The Red Hook facility is expected to run around $5 million.
A Port Authority release noted that commercial vehicles already pay a wharfage fee. But starting Oct. 1, it will be collected at the Red Hook dock.

Every Virgin Islander who understands the dynamics of the new economy should jump at any reasonable offer to privatize the Water and Power Authority.
During the last 20 years, many jurisdictions have privatized their utilities (power generation, electricity and water) as well as their garbage collection, health care and, in some cases, educational system.
Privatizing a utility or an institution does not mean it failed to function well in the past. It simply gives such an entity a greater opportunity to participate in a global arena, where the limited resources of government are at a disadvantage. All over the world, governments are relinquishing themselves of entities that can be better run by private individuals and companies — with, of course, the proper governmental oversight body, such as our Public Services Commission.
In the Virgin Islands, we can point to the ferry system providing transportation between St. Thomas and St. John as a system that works. Two local businesses provide a service that is on time, dependable and has an excellent safety record. If it were a government-run operation, I often wonder if that would be true.
WAPA has survived because it is run by a board of directors and an executive director outside the mainstream of the government. This semiautonomous agency has served us fairly well, but maybe the time has come for us to place the running of this utility in the hands of experts on the cutting edge of new technological advances in power generation.
While I was president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, potential investors repeatedly questioned me about four specific areas:
a) The crime situation on the islands.
b) The wrongful discharge law.
c) The lack of compulsory, or no-fault, automobile insurance.
d) The reliability of constant, dependable power.
None of these concerns are more relevant to an investor than they are to those of us who reside on these islands. We should dispel the myth that we do everything to please those coming from the outside.
The acquisition of WAPA is not rocket science. It is simply a situation whose time has come. Government's first orders of business should be the safety of its people and the creation of a climate that encourages new investment and economic growth.

Editor's note: Christopher Brathwaite is founder and president of C.E. Brathwaite & Associates and past president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce.

On Thursday and Friday, Aug. 10 and 11, the V.I. National Park will conduct routine hurricane preparations on St. John. During the two days, those visiting and driving through the park should be alert to any emergency vehicles or heavy equipment that may be on the roadways in connection with the exercises.
No park services will be interrupted during the "partial incident command mode" preparedness activities, according to a release from the National Park Service.

A Territorial Court judge has ordered a new trial in the case of a woman who tripped and fell in the Frederiksted Kmart in 1995 and was awarded $2.9 million in damages.
Last week, Judge Maria Cabret denied two motions filed by Kmart lawyers concerning sufficiency of evidence, but granted a third calling for a new trial on the issue of damages. Cabret said the evidence given by an expert witness, economist Dr. Bernard Pettingill, concerning the plaintiff's loss of future earnings had been "very limited and confusing."
In 1995 the plaintiff, Annette Constable, then 30 years old, was shopping in the Frederiksted Kmart when she tripped and fell over a shelf left lying on the floor. Constable’s lawyer, Lee Rohn, argued in court that her client had developed neck pain, upper-back pain and headaches as a result of the fall and that the injuries would keep her from work as a housekeeper and in child care.
After four days of testimony in the 1998 trial, the jury awarded Constable $2,937,772 in damages.
In seeking a new trial, Kmart, represented by the Christiansted firm of Bryant, Barnes and Simpson, argued that Rohn presented insufficient evidence to guide the jury in determining the amount of damages. Rohn was off island Tuesday and unavailable for comment.
In her order, Cabret referred to a Third Circuit Court of Appeals decision which said that "the application of the present-worth rule is generally conceded to be beyond the understanding and capabilities of most lay persons serving on juries… The involved process of reducing future losses to present worth has, undoubtedly, led to confusion and guesswork verdicts."
Because of the factual issues not answered by Constable’s expert witness, Cabret said "the jury was left to speculate concerning what are unquestionably complex calculations involving rates of return, life expectancy and discounts.
"Although there was sufficient evidence for the jury to find that the accident caused Constable’s injuries, Constable failed to provide the jury with sufficient guidance concerning its reduction of future damages to present value. Accordingly, the jury was left to speculate concerning its award… and a new trial is in order."
Cabret said the case will be scheduled for a new trial at the earliest available trial date.

V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron said Tuesday that law enforcement officers were focusing their search for an escapee from the Golden Grove Correctional Facility on St. Croix.
Stridiron, who oversees the Bureau of Corrections, said members of the public had called in sightings of the man, Bradley "Hurtie" Maxwell.
"There are people who may have seen him in the area of St. Croix. We’re getting some leads," Stridiron said.
Maxwell, 22, is believed to have slipped away from Golden Grove sometime Sunday evening. It was his second escape since he was convicted of murdering John Alfred Adams at Wet Willy’s bar on St. Thomas in 1997. The first was in 1998, when he escaped from the Sub Base jail annex. He was on the loose for about two weeks then before being recaptured.
Maxwell is serving 30 years for the murder and another five for the escape.
The convict, who is considered dangerous, is black, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 175 pounds and wears his hair in short, twisted locks. While at large during his escape on St. Thomas, Maxwell shaved his head to alter his appearance.
Stridiron said prison officials, with the aid of other officers, have now created a dragnet to ensure a thorough search of the Big Island.
"Later today or tomorrow we hope to capture him," he said Tuesday.

Beginning Oct. 1, people transporting non-commercial vehicles between St. Thomas and St. John by barge will be paying an extra $2.50 each way to the Port Authority for the privilege.
Last August, the Port Authority board passed several measures to increase revenues. The $2.50 "wharfage fee" will finally be implemented, according to Port Authority spokeswoman Shirley L. Smith.
The fees will be collected at the Red Hook side for barging in both directions.
A chain link fence will be erected along the Port Authority's Red Hook cargo dock in preparation for the fee collections. Work on the fence is slated to begin this week. The Port Authority office shed currently sitting on the ferry dock will be relocated between the two barge ramps at the eastern end of the Port Authority's property.
Smith said the fence would not interfere with the parking lot operated by East End Taxi Service adjacent to the Port Authority cargo facility.
There is no plan currently to sell books of tickets for frequent barge users, but this might be considered later, Smith said.
According to Port Authority executive director Gordon Finch, the fees are earmarked to help fund two long-planned marine developments: the Enighed Pond cargo facility on St. John and a Red Hook marine facility on St. Thomas.
The cost of the Enighed Pond project is estimated at $16 million. The Red Hook facility is expected to run around $5 million.
A Port Authority release noted that commercial vehicles already pay a wharfage fee. But starting Oct. 1, it will be collected at the Red Hook dock.

The fate of the proposed sale of the Water and Power Authority to Southern Energy Inc. is to be put to a vote in a full session of the Senate starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 11, immediately following three days of public hearings on the three main islands.
The proposed purchase by Southern of 80 percent of WAPA has been the subject of endless debate on countless talk shows, in public forums and at demonstrations throughout the territory for months.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has approved the sale and forwarded the legislation requesting the mandatory Senate approval.
Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James 11 has veered sharply in the other direction, publicly condemning the sale, as have many unionized WAPA employees and some senators.
The Senate is awaiting an analysis of Southern's proposal by the consulting firm Arthur D. Little that is expected "shortly," according to Sandra Brunet, office manager for Senate president Vargrave Richards. She said it is hoped that the study will be available to the Senate and to the public before the hearings next week — set for Tuesday, Aug. 8, on St. Thomas; Wednesday, Aug. 9, on St. Croix; and Thursday, Aug. 10, on St. John.
For further information on the public hearings, all set to begin at 10 a.m., go to the Local Government section of the Source.

The fate of the proposed sale of the Water and Power Authority to Southern Energy Inc. is to be put to a vote in a full session of the Senate starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 11, immediately following three days of public hearings on the three main islands.
The proposed purchase by Southern of 80 percent of WAPA has been the subject of endless debate on countless talk shows, in public forums and at demonstrations throughout the territory for months.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has approved the sale and forwarded the legislation requesting the mandatory Senate approval.
Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II has veered sharply in the other direction, publicly condemning the sale, as have many unionized WAPA employees and some senators.
The Senate is awaiting an analysis of Southern's proposal by the consulting firm Arthur D. Little that is expected "shortly," according to Sandra Brunet, office manager for Senate president Vargrave Richards. She said it is hoped that the study will be available to the Senate and to the public before the hearings next week — set for Tuesday, Aug. 8, on St. Thomas; Wednesday, Aug. 9, on St. Croix; and Thursday, Aug. 10, on St. John.
For further information on the public hearings, all set to begin at 10 a.m., go to the Local Government section of the Source.

The management of the West Indian Co. and the Police Benevolent Association have reached agreement that the union members will no longer protest on or around Havensight Mall and the WICO dock.
The agreement reached Monday averted a court hearing on WICO's request for a permanent injunction against the PBA and its St. Croix chapter president, Naomi Joseph. The settlement, while barring the union and any of its members from protesting on the WICO property, represents "only a change in venue," according to Joseph.
"WICO had a stronger case than we did," she said. "It's now up to the union to move its march and rallies to Main Street." A march on July 19 by the PBA led WICO to close its front gates and escort arriving cruise ship passengers through an inner gate alongside the dock, away from the protesting police officers.
WICO president Edward E. Thomas sought the court's intervention when Joseph threatened to hold a protest at the dock with what she termed "a boatload of officers from St. Croix." Territorial Court Judge Ishmael Meyers, who accepted the terms of the out-of-court settlement, had issued a temporary restraining order stating that the WICO cruise ship facilities were not a "public forum" for such a protest.
For about a month, a coalition of workers in several public safety agencies, led by the PBA chapters of St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix, has been protesting on St. Thomas and St. Croix over low wages, poor working conditions and the lack of information from the administration as to when it will implement already negotiated salary increases for its members.