The United States Virgin Islands are open for business and we are the gateway to make them happen,” assures Mr. Carlton Dowe, Executive Director of VIPA, the crucial entity owning and managing the islands’ two airports, the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas (CEKA) and the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport on St. Croix (HERA), as well as the majority of the public seaports. As such, VIPA has played a pivotal role in facilitating tourism by air and sea as well as being the main lifeline of consumer goods and construction materials into the island for the last 55 years. Now, VIPA has embarked on what can be considered as its most ambitious projects yet: the redevelopment of the CEKA and HERA airports, and the rehabilitation and expansion of its two major ports on St. Thomas and St. Croix, among several others.
First, under a public-private partnership (P3) with VIport Partners, VIPA expects to modernize the islands’ two air terminals to satisfy LEED Silver standards and building code requirements for resiliency. This will be achieved by increasing passenger boarding bridges, adding new routes, increasing cargo activity and non-aeronautical revenues, and providing better opportunities to local business during the redevelopment and operational phases. Moreover, while the private entity will manage the airport, VIPA will continue to manage their assets at Lindbergh Bay Beach, Bournefield, and its 400-plus acres adjacent to the St. Croix airport, where they expect to build a hotel in the future. VIPA’s Executive Director is confident that these terminal upgrades will significantly enhance the traveler experience and solidify the USVI’s position as one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean. As he says, “The time for progress is now, because the Caribbean and the rest of the world are not waiting for the US Virgin Islands to advance.”
Furthermore, VIPA has recently engaged into a strategic 25-year lease agreement with Tropical Shipping to rehabilitate their Crow Bay Cargo Port on St. Tomas and the Wilfred “Bomba” Allick Port and Transshipment Center in St. Croix. This will be financed by the private entity and by the $20 million grant awarded by MARAD, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, to VIPA, Tropical Shipping and Crowley in October 2020 for the repair and modernization at the Crown Bay Sandfill cargo facility; and another $22 million MARAD grant awarded in November 2023 for repair work at the St. Croix container port. Similarly, last year VIPA agreed to the expansion and modernization of its cruise ports on St. Croix and St. Thomas in collaboration with long-standing partners Royal Caribbean Group and new associates Cruise Terminals International. These works will increase berthing capacity, expand pier infrastructure, and develop a third cruise ship pier in Crown Bay to allow bigger vessels into the islands. “This public-private partnership guarantees that the USVI will maintain its esteemed position as the premier cruise destination in the region,” assures Mr. Dowe.
Other projected infrastructure works include the construction of a $9 million Customs and Border Protection clearing facility in Red Hook, St. Thomas, that will facilitate operations and provide a better arrival experience for travelers; and the projected multi-purpose center and community park at Enighed Pond in St. John. Given the scope of VIPA’s plans and their relevance in assuring future growth, there is no doubt they will continue to be a crucial ally in guaranteeing USVI’s economic prosperity. After all, as Mr. Dowe says, “We are making sure our infrastructure is able to accommodate the future.”
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