STX to STT Car Ferry to Open New Wave of Inter-Island Commerce

M.A. Dworkin

USVI - “There’s a new world comin’   And it’s just around the bend…There’s a new day dawning, That belongs to you and me…” sings Nina Simone.

Such is the battle cry of the U.S. Virgin Islands as it works to reinvent itself as a people who are willing to rise up, shake off its past industrial disappointments, and carve out a new vision for itself as one of the innovative leaders of tourism in the Caribbean Basin.

Now imagine this scenario if you will: You wake up on a beautiful Sunday morning in St. Croix. Hop in your car with your buddy, your partner, your family, and drive down to the docks at Gallows Bay, where you load your car onto a sleek new Car Ferry and walk up to the top deck to have a cool one as you wait to push off over to the Red Hook dock on St. Thomas. 

On STT, you disembark your car and drive your way up and down the scenic hills of your sister island for a day of food, fun, and shopping. Or reverse that vision, and start off at Red Hook in St. Thomas and ferry your way over to the Gallows Bay dock for a day of food, fun and shopping on the Big Island of St. Croix.

This is the exciting transformative inter-island transportation vision that is currently on the drawing boards of the good folks over at the Department of Public Works (DPW), who are working diligently with the hope of making their STX to STT Car Ferry vision a reality by the end of 2026.  

“The Department’s vision is to create a seamless and sustainable inter-island public marine transportation system that connects communities, supports daily life and commerce, and enhances the overall experience for residents, students. commuters, tourists and local businesses across the islands,” said Department of Public Works (DPW) Commissioner Derek Gabriel, who hosted the recent VITRAN STX to STT Ferry virtual Town Hall meeting, where he was assisted by Deputy Commissioner of Transportation Karole Ovesen-McGregor and Highway Program Manager Jomo McClean.

The vision is really not that far-fetched. Not at all. Funding for the Inter-island Car Ferry project came about from the U.S. Government’s recent sale of $150 million in Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds, which enables States and Territories to issue securities in anticipation of reimbursement from Federal assistance grants. This enables those entities to start projects immediately instead of waiting for annual funding. In 2015, the USVI secured $90 million for infrastructure projects by issuing GARVEE bonds. Last year, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. received the go ahead to fund road improvements on Veterans Drive in St. Thomas and approximately $20 million for a new inter-island Car Ferry service. 

“The catamaran-style Ferry will be able to carry up to 198 passengers and 16 vehicles,” said Jomo McClean.

“Once operational, residents will be able to travel between islands easily and affordably,” said Karole Ovesen-McGregor. 

The requirements of the grant call for the Ferry completing its run in under 90 minutes from Red Hook to Gallows Bay. 

DPW is looking for an independent operator to run the daily route between STX and STT. Fees for the trip will be determined once an operator is in place, but those fees would most likely be under regulation with the Public Services Commission (PSC), since the route falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Marine Transportation System guidance. 

So there you are, standing at the beautiful harbor that sweeps along Charlotte Amalie, staring across to catch a glimpse of the harbor on St. Croix, having just spent a lovely day shopping like a tourist in downtown Charlotte Amalie, driving all over the island to see the sights, and stopping to visit a few of your STT friends along the way.    

You decide to duck into one of the waterfront restaurants to catch a brewski and a quick bite before it’s time to load the car back on the Ferry for the quick trip back to STX. 

Now, ain’t life grand in the USVI!             

“Yes, a new world’s comin’ You know the one I’m talking about, The one we’d had visions of, And it’s comin’ in peace, coming in joy, comin’ in peace, comin’ in joy…Comin in love.”

Sing it to us one more time, Nina Simone…