Moderately optimistic is perhaps the best way to describe how the St. Maarten Marine Trade Association (SMMTA) sees the upcoming boating season that begins in November (see related story). With many wrecks still visible and some 30 per cent of slips and dockage down more than 10 months later, getting the maritime industry anywhere near pre-Irma levels will be difficult at best.
That SMMTA nevertheless believes it can be done is a hopeful sign, but the necessary conditions must also be created. As part of efforts to revive this hard-hit economically-significant sector, a – temporary, at least – revision of the mooring fees on the Dutch side may be justified.
The issue of certifying the clearance of water lanes in Simpson Bay Lagoon and establishing the required protocols for such ought to be tackled post-haste, especially as the issue had already been raised in the past. While it’s understandable that Great Bay was given priority in the early recovery phase primarily to get cruise ships back, the contribution of visiting yachts to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) should not be underestimated.
Increased marketing where possible certainly seems in order at this point, along with more attention within government for the industry. The latter usually starts and ends with communication.
It’s a public secret that SMMTA’s relations with the Harbour Group of Companies and its subsidiary Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC) haven’t always been great for a variety of reasons. If there was ever a time to compromise and bury that hatchet in the general interest, it is now.
