Proposed Caribbean Ferry Network lists Guyana as potential route

As per a study for the UN Economic Commission for Latin America, Guyana is one of several Caribbean countries which are strong candidates for inclusion in a regional ferry network should slower vessels be used. The proposed Public-Private Partnership model would also entail the renovation and upgrading of wharves throughout the suggested routes which in turn could create cheaper destination costs as opposed to airfares. This proposal, put forth by the Associate Economic Affairs Officer of ECLAC’s Infrastructure Services Unit in the International Trade and Integration Division, Diogo Aita, includes four routes. Route one includes Colombia, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago whereas route two includes Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. On the other hand, route three utilises travel among Puerto Rico, Antigua y Barbuda, Guadalupe and Saint Lucia, while route four Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. Of the four destinations, route two is most useful and dynamic. Nonetheless, the report indicates route four as the most efficient in establishing regional connections. According to the proposal, “Route 2 (Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname) leaves the best profit margins for the service…for a frequency of two departures per week, it would need one vessel both in the case of a passenger ferry option (Mexico V) or for the two options of high-speed ferries (APT James and Bucco Reef).” Given the well-positioned geographical locations surrounding the four routes, the study considered a maximum range of 1600 nautical miles with a critical assumption that passengers would not be accommodated overnight. Inclusively, journey rotation times, port charges, fees and the profitability of each route per vessel were taken into consideration among other technical elements. The report outlines several success factors should a route be chosen which encompass political integration as per the improvement of the Chaguaramas Treaty, port capacity and infrastructure, intra-regional logistics integration and the consistent involvement of private sector stakeholders.