Published: 26 February 2021
PHILIPSBURG:---On February 5th, 2021 Member of Parliament (MP) Claudius Buncamper sent a letter to the minister of Justice, the honorable Anna E. Richardson regarding Anguilla Boats entering St. Maarten. In his letter to the minister, MP Buncamper pointed that it had come to his attention that boats registered in Anguilla are picking up and dropping off passengers at the pier at the Simpson Bay ferry, while boats registered in St. Maarten and other boats are prohibited by Anguillan authorities from taking passengers to Anguilla or on day trips to the uninhabited islands around Anguilla, such as Prickle Pear. The MP asked the Minister of Justice if she was aware of this practice and if there were plans to rectify it. The Minister of Justice in her response of February 19th, to MP Buncamper outlined that the works to formulate a document to regulate such practice started in 20212 with former Minister of Justice, Roland Duncan and former Minister of Tourism, Romeo Pantophlet. The work was finalized in December 2013 when the then Minister of Justice, Dennis Richardson, and Minister of TEATT, Thadeus Richardson signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hubert Hughes, and Minister of Home Affairs, Jerome Roberts, regulating the operations of passenger vessels transporting persons between Anguilla and St. Maarten via the Ferry Terminal in Simpson Bay. Due to the global pandemic, the government of Anguilla implemented stringent travel restrictions and closed their ports of entry to all foreign vessels. This differed from St. Maarten’s travel restrictions after the border closure was lifted.