A ferry service connecting Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados is being discussed by the governments of those three nations to help with passenger and freight transit.
This revelation was revealed by Guyana President Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali during a speech at a contract signing ceremony for the US$35 million Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge in the Upper Demerara-Berbice area.
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According to Ali, a firm was established the day before to help with the creation of this boat, as reported in a Guyana newspaper on January 5, 2024. He provided no information about the business.
The three countries were still debating the initiative, Ali continued. “We have to get this going and then we have to work on expanding.”
Comments from the Prime Minister and Rohan Sinanan, the Minister of Works and Transportation, were unavailable due to their absences.
For many years, Caricom has struggled with the problem of intraregional transit.
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) declared last year that it would pay for the consulting services needed to study the possibilities for launching a new shipping line between T&T, Barbados, Grenada, and Guyana.
During the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum held in Guyana in October of last year, Ali stated that the African Export-Import (Afrexim) Bank is eager to back a Caribbean private sector proposal for an intra-regional system that could enable more affordable maritime transportation of people and goods.
At the time, he urged local private-sector participants to establish a consortium and launch the project.
In July 2022, during a Caricom heads of government summit in Suriname, Dr. Rowley provided backing for the concept of an interregional ferry service.
“If you really want to help Caricom, one of the best things you could do is help the team of governments to fund and have operating, within the Caricom region, vessels of that nature so as to bring our people together by seas.”
A three-day Agri Investment Forum was held in Guyana from May 19–21, 2022, including discussions about the possibility of establishing a ferry service between T&T and Guyana.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between T&T and Guyana was signed during the event, and the topic was one of numerous that it contained.
The Port of Spain might be exploited as a transshipment center by Guyana’s private sector, particularly manufacturers, according to UWI economist Dr. Vaalmiki Arjoon at the time. Smaller vessels might transfer the equipment and raw materials that Guyana imports to Port of Spain before returning to Guyana.
Arjoon continued, “Guyana is also regarded as Brazil’s gateway to the Caribbean. Exports from Brazil to the region via Guyana can go through our port as a transshipment venue.”
