The Governor of the US Virgin Islands (SVI), Mr Albert A. Bryan Jr, has said the State Department is recommending that the leaders of the Virgin Islands (VI) be summoned to Washington over the increase in charter yacht fees that has hurt the USVI’s marine industry. Photo: Facebook

The USVI charter vessel operators had called for intervention following the increase in charter fees by the Virgin Islands in June 2025. Photo: Internet Source

USVI Governor, Albert A. Bryan Jr. (left) and Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) (right) held extensive discussions about the increased charter yacht fees in 2025. Photo: Facebook

Governor Bryan recently attended the National Governors Association’s annual Winter Meeting and the 2026 Interagency Group on Insular Areas Senior Plenary Session at the US Department of the Interior.

In his address to the USVI today, March 2, 2026, Mr Bryan said he was in Washington, where his delegation had discussions with the State Department about the Virgin Islands’ new charter yacht fee structure.

Amendments to the Commercial Recreational Vessel Licensing (CRVL) Act made provisions for increased charter fees. Under the new fee structure, which came into effect in June 2025, annual multi-night charter licenses that previously cost around $800 have now increased to $24,000 per vessel. Day-trip licenses have risen from $200 to $8,500 per vessel, in addition to customary customs and immigration charges that can add another $900 to $1,200 or more for each entry.

The USVI and marine vessel operators have accused the new fee structure of negatively affecting their marine tourism industry. 

Feds ‘seem very eager to resolve this matter’

“They are recommending that we have a summit in Washington where we summon the British Virgin Islands government and their leaders to Washington to discuss this, [but] we think we could get this matter resolved in a local manner. We really don’t want interference with the Feds, but they seem very eager to resolve this matter.”

Governor Bryan added that a lot of documentation has been put forward “between the two parties and we’re setting up a meeting with the BVI, hopefully this month, March, we’ll be able to get with that but we had several discussions there on that issue of the right to enter into their waters and their right to enter into our waters.”

Mr Bryan reiterated that USVI-based yachts are paying $24,000 a season to enter VI waters while VI-based charter yachts are only paying $4000.

“It’s incredibly restrictive, but the main thing in this, as I keep telling our yachting community, we need to come up with a fair rate to pay, and then we could really go back to the BVI and talk about this,” Governor Bryan said.

See related article below:

USVI Governor asks President Trump to intervene in USVI-VI charter fee issue