WICO Cruise Ship Dilemma: Bigger Ships, Fewer Passengers

The advent of larger cruise ships making port calls in the USVI does not necessarily mean more money in the pockets of the West Indian Company. That’s the unfortunate reality WICO’s Director of Marine Cruise Services, Mark Sabino, shared with the Committee on Budget Appropriations and Finance on Tuesday.

Detailing the current difficulties, he told lawmakers that WICO could previously berth three 1,000-foot-long ships at a time, with a total average capacity of 15,000 passengers combined. With WICO collecting passenger fees of $7.80 per person, the company could bring in as much as $117,000 under those conditions per call. However, with new ships being built to lengths of 1,200 feet, WICO is facing a challenge. WICO’s dock, which is 3,300 feet, will only be able to accommodate two of the larger class ships at a time, accounting for an average gap of 75 feet between each ship.

“Even though the ships might be carrying up to 6,000 passengers each, that's 12,000 passengers; less than the 15,000 we had before” when three full ships are in port, Mr. Sabino noted. That’s a total head tax collection of $93,600. In the instances where ships are unable to be berthed at WICO’s dock, the company directs them to Crown Bay. In fact, Norwegian Epic, a “massive ship” by Mr. Sabino’s description, must be redirected to Crown Bay. “The reason we can't accommodate it at WICO is because we have the Carnival Excel on the dock at 1,150 feet,” he told lawmakers.