The Makana, which will be op­erating a ferry service be­tween St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts will be homeporting in Sta­tia to maximize connectiv­ity.

This means that Statia res­idents can take advantage of early departure and late arrival times to and from St. Maarten and St. Kitts. It is proposed that the fer­ry will leave Statia for Saba at 6:00 am, with an onward connection to St. Maarten at 7:10 am, arriving in Phil­ipsburg at 8:30 am.

Returning, the last sched­uled trip will leave Philips­burg, St. Maarten, for Saba at 5:30 pm, with an onward connection to Statia at 7:05 pm, arriving at Gallows Bay at 8:00 pm.

The new proposal is that once weekly, the vessel will make two trips per day to St Kitts. Ideally, Statia Tourism Director Charles Lindo said, the first trip will leave Statia for St. Kitts at 7:15 am, returning at 9:00 am. The second trip will leave Statia for St. Kitts at 4:00 pm, returning to Sta­tia at 6:00 pm, arriving at Gallows Bay at 7:00 pm.

Onward connectivity will allow for same-day excur­sions to St. Maarten, as well as to Anguilla and St. Barths, via independent op­erators.

The Makana ferry ser­vice is operated by Blues and Blues Ltd, known for its long-standing com­mitments to Anguilla, St. Maarten, Saba, and Statia via the NIKI V and Saman­tha ferries, and Captain Chrissy and Mutty’s Pride cargo vessels. Owner Samuel “Blues” Connor received the Saba Day Award for Sea Trans­portation in December 2019. Residents of Saba and Sta­tia are encouraged to apply for positions available onboard the Makana.

The Daily Herald