The Makana Ferry leaving St. Eustatius’ harbour.
ST. EUSTATIUS--The “Makana” ferry has increased its fares since the beginning of this month after the governments of St. Eustatius and Saba failed to secure additional funding from the Dutch government under the vessel’s public service obligation (PSO) contract.
The 72-foot catamaran first began providing ferry services between Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten in late 2021 after the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management granted a subsidy of two million euros for two years.
With the PSO agreement set to expire at the end of 2023, the governments of Saba and St. Eustatius requested a new subsidy from the Dutch government for this “vital maritime connection,” arguing that the “Makana” offers an affordable and accessible alternative to current expensive flight connections to St. Maarten.
However, then-Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen announced that the subsidy would be halved for 2024 and 2025, down to one million euros over the two-year period.
According to a statement issued by the St. Eustatius government, it became evident that “this level of funding is not sufficient to sustain the service under the current fare structure.”
This was backed up by an earlier evaluation conducted by the ferry’s advisory board in the second quarter of 2023, which concluded that while the “Makana” does not need as much subsidy as it did in 2021, it still requires additional funds due to increased operational expenses, such as fuel.
The popular ferry first announced price hikes in May 2024, but these were postponed after the island governments committed to seeking additional money from The Hague.
“Despite these concerted lobbying efforts, we regret to inform the public that the necessary supplementary funding was not secured,” the St. Eustatius government said on Monday. “During this period of uncertainty, ‘Makana’ Ferry demonstrated commendable patience and cooperation by maintaining current fare levels up until May 2025, despite the absence of confirmed additional subsidies.”
Last July, an adult round-trip ticket to St. Maarten was US $120 from Saba, $123 from St. Eustatius and $234 from St. Kitts.
Now, without additional subsidies, an adult round-trip ticket to St. Maarten is $155 from Saba, $158 from St. Eustatius and $274 from St. Kitts.
The St. Eustatius government thanked the “Makana” for its “continued partnership and understanding as we work towards sustainable, long-term solutions.”
“While this development is unfortunate, it reflects the real financial pressures involved in maintaining essential inter-island connectivity,” the St. Eustatius government said.
The 150-seat “Makana” Ferry is operated by Anguillan company Blues and Blues Ltd.
