ST. CROIX — Charter boat operators who utilize the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility in Frederiksted raised concerns that the proposed 150% jump in daily docking fees would cripple their operations during the final public hearing the Virgin Islands Port Authority held Wednesday on St. Croix regarding proposed amendments to the marine tariff.
In addition to the docking fees, VIPA is proposing increases for British Virgin Islands ferry fees, Red Hook barge ramp fees and parking lot rates, and pilotage fees.
VIPA is proposing three new marine tariff fees — to park at the Victor Sewer Marine Facility in Cruz Bay on St. John, for passengers at the Red Hook barge ramp, and for cargo staging to allow individuals and government entities to store shipped vehicles, heavy equipment, or materials prior to moving the items from VIPA property.
Community concerns:
Attendees at Wednesday’s hearing in the VIPA conference room at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport opposed the Authority’s plan to increase daily docking fees for vessels (excluding cruise ships) at VIPA facilities to $2.50 per foot from $1.
Mike Simpson, Lyric Sails captain, said the proposal would add up to $3,000 per month for the vessel he operates, impacting the family-owned business that he noted has supported the Frederiksted community for the past decade.
“The other marine operations are also small businesses,” he said. “An exorbitant increase like this could drive us away from Frederiksted. In doing so, this not only affects our staff, who lives in and around Frederiksted, but also the bars, restaurants, and shops who all benefit from our operation.”
Sean Arnold, an employee of Nep2une Scuba Diving, said the company does not take more than six passengers per trip on its two vessels that regularly run year-round. He said the existing fees cost Nep2une $9,490 per boat each year, noting the proposed increase would hike that amount up to $23,725 per boat. He said the company just purchased a third boat, so the proposed fee increase would result in Nep2une paying more than $70,000 annually, noting such a hike is not feasible for the business.
“The $1 per foot is actually not even feasible, so increasing that by an additional 150% is going to be too much for us,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure how we’re expected to run and do that.”
Simpson and Arnold both suggested an increase to $1.25 per foot.
Residents raised concerns during the first public hearing Monday on St. John about the financial burden the fees — including parking at the marine facility in Cruz Bay — would bring when coupled with the inflated cost of living, especially for those on fixed incomes. There was also discussion about limited government services, deteriorating roads near port facilities, and lack of maintenance on existing infrastructure.
LISTEN: WTJX Radio NewsFeed Report on St. John Public Hearing
So many attendees showed up at the Legislature building on St. John there was not enough space for all of them to initially participate, but as folks left those waiting outside gained entry. Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe suggested at the time that VIPA could hold another public hearing on St. John, noting the importance of sharing the information. However, VIPA announced today that a second public hearing would not be held on St. John. The Authority noted that St. John residents also participated in Tuesday’s hearing at VIPA on St. Thomas, and that the Authority has received feedback via Zoom and email.
Much of Tuesday’s meeting at VIPA’s administrative building on St. Thomas focused on the disproportionate burden on St. John residents as well as the BVI ferry fees. Residents also raised concerns about the effect on local businesses, the potential economic strain on ferry operators and transportation services, and a lack of detailed financial analysis justifying the increases.
Like St. Croix, key concerns raised on St. Thomas also related to the proposed increase of the $1 per foot daily docking fees. VIPA officials heard that small ferry companies would struggle to absorb the additional costs, which would likely be passed on to passengers. Ferry operators suggested incremental increases, such as initially rising to $1.50 per foot to make the changes more sustainable.
LISTEN: WTJX Radio NewsFeed Report on St. Thomas Public Hearing
VIPA officials acknowledged the concerns and indicated a willingness to consider feedback from operators and the public before finalizing any changes.
Willard John, VIPA board chair, said after Wednesday’s hearing that the Authority’s staff would make a recommendation to the board after considering the feedback from the community. He said the board would take the recommendation into consideration before making the final decision.
The proposed fees are set to take effect January 1, 2026, but Dowe said that meeting the deadline is not feasible. VIPA, a primarily self-funded autonomous agency with limited government support, aims to generate about $5 million annually through the proposed fees to help finance critical improvements, fund maintenance of seaport facilities, and cover the rising costs for operations and capital expenditures. VIPA’s key projects discussed during the public hearings include dredging in Crown Bay and Charlotte Amalie to accommodate larger cruise ships, improvements to the Urman V. Fredericks Marine Terminal in Red Hook, demolition and repurposing of old warehouses in Gallows Bay following the relocation of cargo operations, structural repairs and renovations to the Loredon Lorence Boynes Sr. Dock in Cruz Bay, and replacement of aging cranes at the Wilfred “Bomba” Allick Port and Transshipment Center (container port) on St. Croix.
Proposed fee increases:
VIPA is proposing a $3 increase in fees for travel to the British Virgin Islands, a $1.50 per foot increase in daily docking fees for vessels, an increase in Red Hook barge ramp fees, and increase in parking lot rates at the Red Hook terminal, and an increase in pilotage fees for vessels over 100 tons (primarily cargo vessels).
The proposed $3 increase to the BVI inter-island passenger ship dues and wharfage would be for travelers heading to the BVI from VIPA facilities in Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie. The ship dues would increase to $3 from $2, the inbound and outbound wharfage would both increase to $4 from $3. The total increase would be to $11 from $8. These fees were last increased in 2014. The BVI departure fee remains $20.
Daily docking fees for vessels (excluding cruise ships) at VIPA facilities would increase to $2.50 per foot from $1. These fees were last raised in 2017.
The Red Hook barge ramp fees established in 2006 are set to increase to $6 from $3 for cars, small/medium SUVs, and motorcycles; to $6 from $4 for pickup trucks, personal vans, and large SUVs; and to $10 from $6 for other vehicles like commercial vans, hearses, and safari taxis. The fees for heavy trucks and equipment, and containers up to 20 feet will increase to $30 from $20. The fees for containers more than 20 feet, large trucks, trucks with chassis, and fuel trucks will increase to $40 from $30.
The parking rates that have been in effect since 2020 at the Urman V. Fredericks Marine Terminal in Red Hook are set to increase for stays over four hours. No change is proposed for the first four hours. The rates will jump to $15 from $12 for four to five hours, and to $20 from $15 for five to 24 hours, and for a lost ticket. The monthly public rate will increase to $250 from $175, the monthly tenant/employee rate will increase to $150 from $100, and the daily rate for tenants and employees will increase to $10 from $5.
The current pilotage fee of $20 per foot would increase to $25 per foot, with a minimum of 15 feet. VIPA is eliminating the fee of 1 cent per gross ton, with a $100 minimum. Instead, the Authority has identified three groups — vessels up to 19,999 gross tons will pay a flat fee of $200, vessels between 20,000 to 59,999 gross tons will pay $400, and vessels 60,000 gross tons or more will pay $600. The fee for shifting from one berthing to another will increase to $400 from $300. The harbor use fee per entry will increase to $150 from $100. The waiting time fee for vessels that do not leave on schedule will increase to $200 from $150.
Proposed new fees:
The proposed new fee for parking at the Victor Sewer Marine Facility in Cruz Bay would be $5 for stays between 31 minutes and nine hours from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. The maximum daily rate for parking over nine hours would be $50. After 7 p.m., the hourly rate would increase to $6, and from midnight to 5 a.m., it would rise to $8.
A new $2 per passenger marine tariff fee is proposed for the Red Hook barge ramp. This fee would apply to all passengers except the driver and one passenger over age 12. Passengers under 12 would be exempt.
VIPA has proposed new fees for cargo staging, providing temporary cargo overflow staging areas. The fees include $20 per day for vehicles under 4,000 pounds on St. Thomas and St. Croix, and $50 per day for vehicles 4,000 pounds and over. The heavy equipment fee for St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix would be $100 per day, or $15 per hour on St. John. The fee for 20-foot containers or chassis on all three islands would be $100 per day, or $15 per hour on St. John. The daily fee for 40-foot containers or chassis on all three islands would be $150, or $25 per hour on St. John. It would cost $200 per day on all three islands for fuel tankers under 3,000 gallons, or $300 per day for fuel tankers 3,000 gallons or more.
VIPA encourages all stakeholders to submit written feedback or suggestions via email to info@viport.com.
