BVI ‘silly’ to impose charter fees, says USVI Governor
USVI Governor Albert Bryan Jr
USVI Governor Albert Bryan Jr has described the BVI’s charter yacht fees as “silly” and urged the two territories to agree on lower charges before the next charter season.
“The thing about it is almost… it’s silly to impose these fees because what we want to encourage is more traverse between the islands, more people going over to the BVI,” Bryan said in an interview.
He argued that easier movement between the territories would bring business to both. “They need to make their money too, but it has to be reasonable,” he said of the BVI’s charges. Bryan said the USVI accepted that vessels using BVI waters should pay a fee.
The dispute concerns increased charges for foreign-based charter vessels operating in BVI waters. The fee framework includes annual charges of up to $24,000 for foreign vessels making unlimited entries, while day-trip operators face an $8,500 licence fee. The BVI government has defended the charges, saying foreign operators should contribute to the territory where they do business.
Bryan said the fees had cost the USVI yacht industry more than $100 million in lost revenue. He said USVI charter businesses and marinas had hired lawyers and raised the matter with officials in Washington.
The governor also said he had sought a meeting with BVI officials for about a year and a half.
No one trying to ‘break into’ BVI
Bryan also called for simpler customs procedures between the territories, saying delays made short visits difficult.
“So no one is trying to break into the British Virgin Islands,” he said. “People try to break into the U.S. Virgin Islands so they could get the American benefit of being in America.”
He complained that he and others had been made to wait for more than an hour before BVI Customs attended to them, suggesting that travellers were being inconvenienced by what he described as cumbersome procedures.
“We have good relations with CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) here and we have a very relaxed border between us and the British Virgin Islands,” Bryan said.
He claimed the BVI had taken a “hostile approach” by restricting how often its boats could visit the USVI.
Bryan said federal officials had suggested talks in Washington with BVI representatives before any restrictions were considered. He said he hoped the meeting would take place in October and that he had written to Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley seeking a response.
“We’ll sit with you guys and try to come to an agreement before we impose any harsh punishments, restrictions on the people of the British Virgin Islands because they’re like family,” Bryan said, recounting what he said federal partners had proposed.
One big sailing ground
Bryan also suggested that the BVI could be losing out in other areas because boats are now restricted in moving between St Thomas, the BVI and St John.
“It’s one big, beautiful sailing ground, and we should act like that,” Bryan said. “This whole move only generates about three million dollars in fees for the British Virgin Islands but it generates hundreds of million dollars in other services now.”
The two governments agreed in April 2025 to establish a joint marine task force to examine charter operations and related regulations.
Bryan said he wanted the dispute settled locally and did not favour tariffs or measures that would make travel between the territories more difficult. He proposed using electronic systems to track crossings and allowing registered captains and vessels to move more easily between the islands.
“We want to be able to make money, and we want to make sure that the government of the British Virgin Islands has enough money to pave the roads, take care of their people, and do what they need to do, too,” Bryan said.
He ended with a warning against further federal involvement: “Let’s not get the federal government involved to a level where we change some things that could never, ever go back.”
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His elections rapidly approaching…
This condescending pr**k…
“No one is trying to break into the BVI” seems like a claim more focused on trying to make an underhanded insult than any actual truth.
The BVI is to the east of the USVI and Puerto Rico, passing through or near our waters is a pretty important part of smuggling to get things onto US Soil. Matter of fact if this fee debacle wasn’t going on I’d imagine the US would be asking us to do more about our security given the Trump Admin’s actions earlier this year.
But reading these paraphrases and knowing what I know about Bryan, he sounds out of his depth here. More so, the second last phrase sound like is theirs to profit from and we can just have the spoils.
St. Thomas for many mnay years was the freeport with all the infrastructure, dry docks whatso have you. Seems we in BVI saw what was working and stuck with it. There’s still massive opportunity for them to maximize their US waterways with PR, Culebra and STX, for more of an open water sailing brand. There soo much potential there. They can curb their dock storage delimma by building dry docks on STX as well, STX has always been the manufacturing hub in the VI and on top of that are begging for sustainable economic activity.
We have to stop fighting the grain and use what we are known for. Like Bryan said the greater VI can be a premier sailing grounds rivaling the best spots in the world. The BVI already does that but imagine if the USVI utilized their advantages and we held one head. Get serious USVI, we’re serious thats why fees gone up.
If nobody want to break into the BVI then GYMS! you losing $100m a year you say, you bawling about this matter for a year now. Go sail your fking boats them else where then wa f. We up.
Natalio was told, after Andrew was arrested, not to pass Law and allow them to sail into our waters. Andrew had refused, but Natalio did not heed ; instead, he felt Bryan was his friend. Now he has opened a can of worms.
We are allowing them to hold their big annual fishing tournament in our waters; now they want our charter business. Natalio and Kye would not listen.
We acting like MAGA.Something good when one set of people that not us suffering, when we collectively start to suffer for the dumb decisions then we will understand but by then it may be too late.
we need to eat too
Look What Their Big Friend Has Resorted To, Calling Them Silly. Let Us Wait and See If He Knows Something That We Don’t Already Know. Silly Is As Silly Does. What Starts Bad Will End Bad. Leadership Comes With The Ability To Possess Strong Negotiating Ability. Adjust Your Figures A Tad Bit For The Next Year. Then Increase The Figures In The Two Years. Then Come Up With A Steady Figure For The next 8 Years As The Government Will Change Within The Next Three To Eight Years Whereby A New Government Will Have Time To Reassess This Entire Case. Whatever Decision is Settled On, It Should Be In The best Interest Of Both Territories. A Win, Win Situation.
Albert has brought up this topic more than addressing the critical infrastructure thats has been neglected. You have kids learning in trailers that use to be track field for the last 9 years, dilapidated hospitals etc. Thats silly.
All these wannabe patriots will be bawling when Donald Trump decides to fart on the BVI
who saved we with Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini were a threat?
If it has cost the US Yacht Industry $100 million in revenue, then the charges are a drop in the ocean!
Is that before or after he visits you all pedophile island???
The debate over BVI charter yacht fees should be viewed in the context of fairness and economic contribution. While some operators describe the fees as excessive, an annual day-trip licence of $8,500 amounts to roughly $700 per month or about $175 per week. Given that a single charter day trip can generate well over $2,000 in revenue, the cost is not unreasonable for businesses that profit from access to BVI waters and attractions.
The BVI’s beaches, marine parks, anchorages, customs services, and infrastructure are the very assets that make these charter trips marketable. It is therefore reasonable for foreign-based operators who earn income from BVI destinations to contribute to the maintenance and development of those resources.
This is not a question of preventing access or discouraging visitors. Rather, it is about ensuring that businesses benefiting from BVI’s world-class sailing environment make a fair contribution to the territory where that business is conducted. Responsible operators can absorb or pass on a relatively small portion of the fee to customers without significantly affecting demand, while helping to support the services and infrastructure that make the BVI one of the premier sailing destinations in the Caribbean.
If the attraction being sold is largely BVI waters and BVI destinations, why shouldn’t the operator make a meaningful contribution to the BVI treasury?
Yes, especially as they do not contribute in other ways, via company fees, trade licences, payroll tax etc.
Are we BVI’landers permitted to operate a business in the US waters ? No…. So then why should you be intitled to operate one in our waters. You might be lossing money, but those that want to charter in the BVI are coming to the BVI to charter, which means it’s money in our pockets for our businesses.
Simple
Close the US borders ..USVI and Puerto Rico to these BVI.
The only thing that the USVIcould count on from the BVI is illegal aliens and criminals from the CARICOzm updeislun human cesspool.
The BVI has repeatedly refused to diligently and effectively refused to patrol their borders effectively including assist from their guardian,the UK’s offer of modern uptodate submarines. The numbers of illegal aliens and criminals revealed in the U S whose first port of entry was these BVI is astounding.
Let BVI go to the updeislun airports and use the airports and for imports including food. Nuttin BVI have that USVI and PR needs.
USVI constantly saying they loosing over a
100 million dollars, so $24,000.00 should be a drop in the bucket to them, and the same sea food they take from the BVI without paying a dime is illegal to be taken into the USVI by BVI Residents. Also if we only drift into the US waters it’s a Federal Offence. America only tilt the scale to suite them.
Really… This man is a HYPOCRITE. You cannot tell the BVI what to do. for that comment you should go to h**l. If you want to use our waters we will p**s on you.
F Bryan now
What is silly is running a country with a budget of over $1.5 billion and additional funding and can’t keep the power on. What is silly is a country that had an island that became the world focus of sex trafficking and pedophilia for years and their now governor trying to chastise other countries on right and wrong actions. What is silly is the governor who can’t keep his lil Chirac country from chasing record killings among youth per capita each year. You have some nerve and selective outrage to be talking to anyone. Just stick to playing fetch when that lil group petitioning tells you to jump. You know you answer is yessum I is a gonna talk to BVi yessums I sure is…….This ole step and fetch &$&&@ got some nerve…….
Yuh have regular mosquitoes. Yuh have bill gates mosquitoes. And then you have this!!!!! Mute! Block! None of these damn buttons working. Not every thing deserve an audience, and definitely not any mosquito in any form.
We can observe the stages of bullying as –
1) demanding for something that don’t belong to you
2) when you don’t get it, threaten to get some big name involved
3) when that don’t work, demand they meet you by this time, in this place, after school
4) when that don’t work, resort to name calling.
Young people, watch, observe, beware and DO NOT let this silly behaviour be your example. Not now. Not ever. It is silly and probably demonic. God bless the Virgin Islands.
Bryan let me help you out. You have to market what you have and what you are famous for. You all have the most famous pedophile island in the Western Hemisphere. Charge guests $250 and sale around that. That is what you all allowed to be built while the BVI like the busy ant built their industry. Now you grasshoppers want to come muscle the BVI out of an industry you don’t have…..
When Trump closes the borders of USVI and Puerto RCo to these VI ah will dead fo tru..where will I get my medical care..lawd fadder,,Ah ded!!
Our saving grace is the UK is we God Father…otherwise no second thoughts on this issue..and we would have already had at least one fishing boat bombed wouldn’t want to be in Bryan’s shoes..either way he will be the bad guy to The Donald’s or to these VI. If it was me I would do what Don wants and with a lil addition for good measure..one must be guided by where his bread is buttered.
Make it make sense we sense, if you are loosing $100 million a year , why not pay the 24000 dollars and everyone should be happy.