New ferry service officially launched

Douglas

A new ferry service to facilitate service from the neighboring French islands to Cabrits in Portsmouth has been officially launched.

SAS JEANS Ferry Services began operations on Thursday.

Tourism Minister and Parliamentary Representative for Portsmouth Ian Douglas, who was accompanied by Housing Ministry Reginald Austrie, took part in the formal launching in Marie Galante.

“My hope and my vision is for JEANS Ferry which calls at the Cabrits Cruise Ship Birth to bring in about 300 French people from Guadeloupe, Martinique and Marigalante almost every Friday night, leave them in Portsmouth. They can do a tour on Saturday of the Indian River, Fresh Water Lake, Emerald Pool, Cabrits, on Sunday they can have breakfast at one of our restaurants and then leave on Sunday afternoon to get back to their country,” he said.

Douglas said further that the new initiative must be embraced.

“I am calling on the public and private sector to initiative various activities in the town for those things to work,” he said.

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27 Comments

  1. Devoted Dominican
    October 17, 2011

    FELLOW READERS,
    ALL OF THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS OF THIS STORY COMES FROM THE DUMB PEOPLE OF DOMINICA. TO ME, THIS IS A POSITIVE GESTURE ON BEHALF OF THE TWO MINISTERS INVOLVED AND THE PEOPLE OF PORTSMOUTH WHO WILL PROFIT FROM THE MONIES WHAT THOSE PEOPLE SPEND DURING THE WEEKEND. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, FOR THE FIRST TIME I SAY THANK YOU TO IAN FOR HE HAS DONE SOMETHING GOOD FOR PORTSMOUTH.

  2. birdy_1964
    October 17, 2011

    why gaudelope & Martinique. there are other caribbean country,will be happy to visit Dominica.exaple sxm, anguilla,ect. this country will spend us dollars,not country with eros, thinking hard to buy one juice to drinks. I know this groups, wishing you all success in a good turn-over for the benefit of portsmouth. please add more island, donminica have alot to offer. I see on line the project home soon to be built. I am planning to buy one of the flats. I don’t own a home in my country. I owns homes abroad. this houses look great. I do need more information.

  3. Tony
    October 16, 2011

    Well I do not follow election in Dominica real close but I am surprise that Mr Douglas is the Tourism Minister and the Pal Rep of Portsmouth. Is he getting two salaries. The Tourism Minister position should be a position that the Prime Minister appoints someone with experience in that field. So it is no wonder why we are having such problems with Tourism in Dominica. Why can’t we have piers in different villages where we can take a ferry from Roseau to the different villages. I suspect other Pal Rep’s are also holding other such positions but such arrangements should stop. The Pal Rep’s can them call the head of such Government Agencies and hold them accountable for any dificiencies in their respective agencies. In that way we will have more progress and accountability.

  4. juice
    October 15, 2011

    like everything else introduced to Dominicans ‘too chaud too flâme’thats how long this will last.

  5. Anonymous
    October 15, 2011

    why is that the ferry allows vehicles off and on in the french isles and dominica is not included?

  6. Mixmaster
    October 15, 2011

    My Question is to the Minister, why is it that A Dominican Business man Bought a French Ferry, that was already doing the same run, is getting the run around to get an operating liscence? AND WE ARE GIVING fRENCH mEN all the availability to come here?

    • ?
      October 15, 2011

      From time we Dominicans have favoured foreigners over our own people. We need to get rid of that attitude and strive to assist each other.

  7. open mind in possie
    October 15, 2011

    in all fairness, as incompetent as the minister is … he surely does not mean that every visitor who comes on the ferry has to do everything that he suggests … he is just listing options available…

    • Phillis
      October 17, 2011

      i agree with you

  8. Quarz
    October 15, 2011

    I suspect, dem man dreaming alot of things and when they wake up they just come and share their dreams with no basis. Government have a serious cash flow problem, they have a 27USmillion dollar loan wasting on a state palace which we have to pay back in loans. Skerrit hiding in Vieille Case and telling people he out of state because the country broke and he cannot do a thing about it and is just fooling the people with talk. Come on, what happen to us Dominicans? Magway sar. Anyway the next Government to come in this country have a mamoth task, of cleaning up mess. They have to put a task force to help with the cleaning of this mess in the country. This time I will work for free to clean up my country. My loved country. Oh Boy, its sad to see the state my country is in and we are so blind.

    • retractable
      October 17, 2011

      this time it we that is blind.but i believe the next it will be you (party lover)

    • boots ready
      October 17, 2011

      In the nrxt twenty years doh EN BOWDAW.

  9. etell
    October 15, 2011

    Ian have to say soemthing eh. After all he is the Parl Rep. Is Portsmotuh people that have to tell Ian by the ballot that we maintain the legacy but you (Ian)could not see.

  10. Rusty boat removal
    October 15, 2011

    Portsmouth deserves a break. it’s people are very friendly and hard working. Tourists bring good money. I don’t think people here are aware how much good these type of tourists (independent not ‘all inclusive’) do for a small economy like Possie. It will bring plenty of good work and crafts.

    However, come on … Possie need help getting rid of those old rusty boats. I understand that some local ‘powerbroker’ owns them and expects to be paid to take them away. It is time for Reggie (Austrie) and Ian to show balls and mandate their removal. Get on the phone to a scrap merchant in Trinidad. REMOVE those boats … 30 long years show big corruption. Let’s show the French we have grown a little eh? Charge rent and port fees to the culprit of he will not sell.

    Possie gonna be the center of tourism on the island no doubt. It got all the swimming beaches, snorkeling and some good attractions like Indian River and Mn Diablotin and Cabrits. With the new road all the Roseau valley is now open to visitors in Portsmouth.

  11. J Mac
    October 15, 2011

    Long overdue. What’s the cost to Dominicans to use this ferry service? And what about service to and from Lucia? Lucians love DA too, and their economy is doing better than the other three mentioned islands.

  12. The truth
    October 15, 2011

    To be honest, I’m never negative on here but we have so much stuff going on, we really do not care about any ferry service. We have created such s bad rep in the French islands that they do not even want to come and visit dca. How bad is that? At the moment, we spend more in these countries that we make out of them, unless it is by drug dealing or stealing. We need to look way beyond Martinique and Guadeloupe. And while we at it, we have a broken society that needs fixing first. Many Young people do not like hard work, we need to get them to appreciate working for their money. This will generate creativity for the tourism industry because let’s face it, the entire world is jobless, the only people with jobs are the ones who are educated or has he motivation to run their own business

    • Phillis
      October 17, 2011

      bravo my brother

  13. observant
    October 14, 2011

    Is there a ferry going to St. Maarten? Good move anyway. More bling for Possie. Roseau has to step up to keep up.

    • only
      October 16, 2011

      I wish.

  14. Chavez Jr.
    October 14, 2011

    Ras Fatha, the ferry arrives Friday evening my bro, they have all of Saturday and up to Sunday aternoon.Never said anything of Saturday night. U were under the weather or what?

    • Phillis
      October 17, 2011

      don’t you understand,if you have all of Saturday up until sunday afternoon shouldn’t saturday night included. be real

  15. Barrel
    October 14, 2011

    Ras fatha, r u saying that it cannot happen?…. it can happen, it has happened

  16. Satelite
    October 14, 2011

    Is that the best thing you could say IAN. Shame on you, what happen to your vocab?

  17. Ras Fatha
    October 14, 2011

    From saturday night to sunday afternoon, u have to go indian river, go fresh water lake, emerald pool, cabrits? And i forget, u still have to have breakfast at one of our restaurants?

    • C'est Toute?
      October 15, 2011

      stop being ridiculous, it is FRIDAY Night as all the French Tourists have been doing for YEARS so how come it has become so difficult now that is more convenient?

    • Punk
      October 15, 2011

      The Minister forgot the Kalinago People and the Barana Aute again? Thats the main interest of the French folks when they come to DA..

    • only
      October 16, 2011

      That would be an awfully full schedule.

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