CONNECT Caribe says it is now aiming to begin its regional ferry sailings within the first quarter of 2025.

Initially set to begin sailing in August 2024, the company said the unsuitability of the recommended vessels, among other things, led to the delay.

Connect Caribe, a subsidiary of Barbadian maritime company Pleion Group Inc, said it was working on a regional ferry service in January 2024.

It said this would include three vessels – an 800-passenger cruise ship, a 400-passenger fast ferry and a dedicated cargo vessel.

Initially, the team said intra-regional sailings would begin in November 2024.

But at a press conference on May 13, Pleion Group CEO Dr Andre Thomas said that timeline was “accelerated” through two recent partnerships. The inter-island ferry was then set to begin sailings in August, but this did not happen.

The company's website says the first stage of its planned route includes Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and TT.

Sunday Newsday sent an e-mail to the company on December 23, 2024, and received a reply on January 6.

Newsday had asked what caused the delay and for the new potential date for sailings to begin.

The company said, “We are currently working towards a first-quarter (Between January and March) start of operations.”

It said a large vessel would service the northern route and another one for the southern.

“It is very possible for one route as explained above to start before the other.

“At this juncture, we are unable to give specifics.”

It added that a cargo vessel will cover the Trinidad-Suriname-Barbados route.

On its website, the company says it is currently “acquiring ships” and “will take a phased approach to route development.

“We intend at the end of this phased approach to add all of the Caricom nations including Martinique, Guadeloupe, St Maarten, British Virgin Islands and US Virgin Islands.”

But in a press release issued on January 31, after Newsday asked for another update, the company said it is making “steady progress.”

Pleion Group Inc communications director Jennifer Highland said the vessels initially recommended were not suitable for Caribbean waters.

“After a thorough evaluation, our ferry committee identified compatibility issues with the proposed vessels, particularly due to low tide conditions at a key port and the smaller ports across the region. As a result, key negotiations began in earnest last year for the provision of suitable vessels and operational partnership with two leading European ferry companies.”

She said the company anticipates a positive outcome as “we seek to ensure the smoothest start to the delivery of our service and the minimisation of risk to our operations.”

The press release added that a key result of stakeholder engagement was adding the US Virgin Islands into its business model.

“The region plays a critical role in trade between the US and the Caribbean.

“Through the public-private partnership agreement with the Governor of the USVI, (we