ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius – The Progressive Labour Party (PLP) has renewed concerns about the state of St. Eustatius’ rescue services following Thursday’s mechanical incident involving the Makana ferry near Saba, saying the event underscores the importance of maintaining a fully operational rescue organization.
The Makana, which provides daily ferry services between St. Eustatius, Saba, St. Maarten and St. Kitts, emitted large clouds of white smoke as it approached Saba on Thursday morning. Authorities on Saba later said the smoke was caused by a mechanical problem involving the vessel’s turbo. The ferry was inspected in Fort Bay Harbor and was cleared to continue its journey to St. Maarten. Passengers who chose not to continue were offered a refund.
Rescue capacity uncertainty
In a statement, PLP council members Clyde van Putten and Glenville Schmidt said the incident comes at a time when St. Eustatius is facing uncertainty over its rescue capacity. According to the party, the island’s volunteer rescue team has not been carrying out rescue missions since its coordinator was dismissed after reportedly being unable to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG), despite having served in the role for more than four years.
The party said rescue team members subsequently refused to work under a newly appointed coordinator and stepped down from their positions. Island Governor Alida Francis has previously stated that a new coordinator has been appointed and that additional rescuers are being trained.
PLP argued that recent incidents at sea demonstrate the need for a fully staffed and experienced rescue organization, noting that the Makana carries passengers between the islands every day and that maritime emergencies can occur without warning.
The party also pointed to the island’s dedicated rescue vessel, Nora, which, together with Saba’s Princess Amalia, was commissioned to respond to maritime emergencies, including potential aircraft ditchings. According to PLP, the rescue boat’s purpose is undermined if there is no operational rescue team available to deploy it.
The party has called on Governor Francis to provide the public with an update on the current status of the rescue organization and to assure residents that adequate emergency response capacity is available at all times.
Press questions not answered
Over the past week, BES-Reporter has made repeated attempts to obtain clarification from the Government Information Service (GIS) and other government officials about the situation with the rescue team, but no concrete information has been provided.
