T&T Private Sector official lauds Pres Ali, other Caricom Heads for regional integration efforts

…says regional ferry will usher in remarkable ease of transportation

President Dr Irfaan Ali, the current Chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), as well as other regional Heads, came in for high praise from a senior Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Private Sector official, when it comes to their concerted efforts to improve regional integration.
On Tuesday, the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce held a meeting where it facilitated discussions on business developments in the Region. Director of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Kevin Ramgoolie was in high praise of the work Caricom, led by its Chairman, has done on regional integration.

“I must commend our leadership, like Dr Ali, President of Guyana; Honourable Dr Keith Rowley, we have Mia Mottley, from the southern Caribbean, that are looking to make things better. In fact, Caricom is Caricom. But a lot of people might think it is impermeable to get from here to there.
“But from the recently-concluded summits, in fact they asked that each Attorney General come together to look at what is making it, from impermeable as it is, to more permeable, to allow the flow for commerce. And over the next few months, we will be seeing things that will, in effect, allow for that free flow and free movement, more than it was in 2023,” Ramgoolie said.
In particular, Ramgoolie referred to the work done on a regional ferry between Guyana and other Caribbean countries, including Barbados and Trinidad, as remarkable. He marvelled at the ease of transportation this initiative would usher in.
“I must say that currently, our Heads of Government from the recently-concluded Caricom summit, they are looking at ways of collaboration and measures. In fact, it’s the entire Caribbean, but looking at the Southern Caribbean, in fact, the new sea route that is about to become effective soon engages Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and we’re hearing now, to include Suriname.”

“Now if that’s not remarkable, I’ll share with you… you can put anything on a boat, within 24 hours from Port-of-Spain that gets to Georgetown or anything from Georgetown, within 24 hours, that gets to Trinidad. That ease of transportation, right there, is remarkable,” the Director said in his presentation.
Since January, it was reported that the Trinidad and Tobago Cabinet had approved the use of that country’s Galleons Passage vessel for the regional ferry service. And on January 5, the Guyanese Leader had disclosed that Guyana, T&T, and Barbados have formed a joint company that would work towards the introduction of the ferry system for passenger and cargo between the three countries.
Only last week, CariCargo Incorporated, the company that will be operating the ferry, was officially incorporated in Guyana. The vessel is expected to play a pivotal role in transporting not only Caricom nationals, but also goods, particularly agricultural produce.
Back in May 2022, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago had embarked on setting up a ferry service between the two countries to transport people and cargo. During a joint press conference between President Ali and Prime Minister Rowley in Georgetown, the two nations had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in a number of areas.
“As we speak to you now, we are already exploring the possibility of having a cargo-plus-ferry facility as an experiment between Guyana and Trinidad, moving people and goods and services… We cannot address any issues unless we create a platform, the vehicle that will allow us to do that, and this MoU does that,” President Ali had noted.
Regional leaders have long recognised that affordable intra-regional travel remains one of the major bugbears to trade and movement of skilled labour within the Caribbean. Consequently, they have been working on a regional ferry network.
In 2022, Caricom had approached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for funding to establish this intra-regional ferry service. At the time, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) was tasked with ironing out a proposed roadmap study for a fast ferry service with an initial focus on trade between Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Barbados. (G3)