Premier willing to make concessions on charter fees negotiations with USVI

Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley has expressed a willingness to make concessions in ongoing negotiations regarding charter fees with US Virgin Islands (USVI) Governor Albert Bryan Jr.

The talks are centred on the Commercial Recreational Vessel License Act, which proposes a substantial increase in annual fees for overnight charter operators from $400 to $24,000, and for day sail operators, from $200 to $12,500, according to local reports.

“We are willing to make some concessions,” Dr. Wheatley stated in a JTV interview on Tuesday. “Those who do the day-tripping operations, they might be smaller operations, and so we are considering what relief we can give on the licenses, particularly for our day trippers. There may be one or two other concessions that we’re willing to make in the spirit of our friendship.”

The Premier emphasised that both territories had gained a better understanding of each other’s positions through dialogue. “I think through dialogue, he understood our position a lot better, and we understood his position,” Dr Wheatley explained.

The USVI’s viewpoint

When asked about Governor Bryan’s stance, Dr Wheatley clarified that the Governor was concerned about the significant fee increase.

“Obviously, his position is, you know, it’s a big jump in fees,” Wheatley explained. “The fees were very low and now they’ve gone up quite a bit. It’s almost like a shock to the system to see the fees go up to what most persons would consider to be a drastic increase.”

BVI’s argument

Dr Wheatley further explained that the BVI’s size and resources influenced the proposed fees.

“We made it very clear to the Governor and his delegation that the tourism product we have here is not based on mass volume. We have a small territory, and we have to make sure we keep our environment pristine. It’s advantageous to us to focus on guests who can afford to pay more money,” he said, adding that there had already been complaints of overcrowding from the cruise industry.

Following Governor Bryan’s visit to the BVI on Friday, March 7, Premier Wheatley announced that the legislation would not return to the House of Assembly until an equitable solution is found. While no final resolution has been reached, both leaders agreed to review economic data before resuming discussions.

This meeting came after Governor Bryan called for an emergency legislative session to discuss a proposed 25% tariff on imports from the BVI, which was confirmed to be in response to the BVI’s draft legislation that would significantly raise fees for commercial yacht charters entering BVI waters.