104 August 2016 - Business View Caribbean
that ferries guests between the larger cruise ships and
the dock, itself.) That was done a few months ago. We
are also looking to have a fuel bunker at the Long Point
Cargo and Charlestown Ports because we feel there is
a demand for fuel for yachts and other vessels. It’s an
area that the country is giving much more attention
because we think yachting is a growing industry.”
Just like the rest of the world, and especially the Ca-
ribbean region, Nevis was significantly affected by the
recent Great Recession, but Brandy states happily that
the island nation is now recovering and is “on the ‘up’
with regard to the economy. As a matter of fact,” he
says, “we have had growth in 2014 of 3.68 percent,
and another 3.17 percent in 2015. And the forecast
for 2016 and ’17 seem to make it steady. So we have
been on the rebound.”
He also reports that the island’s ferry operations are
both viable and busy; there are several ferries owned
by three private companies that make scheduled trips
between Nevis and St. Kitts. “The two islands are just
a few miles apart,” he remarks. “It takes about 45
minutes from one port in Nevis to the other port in St.
Kitts. In 2014, we had 240,000 passengers travelling
between the islands; in 2015 - 267,000. And so there
is some growth in terms of the movement of passen-
gers mainly due to the many Nevisians who now work
in St. Kitts and vice versa.”
Looking ahead, Brandy says that NASPA is considering
becoming a transshipment hub for goods throughout
the region. “We are ideally located for transshipment,”
he avers. “We have islands around us like St. Martin,
Antigua, Montserrat, and the Dutch Islands like St.
Barts and Sint Eustatius. And we believe that where
we are located, transshipment could be a viable op-
eration. It must be said that transshipment was done
