West End Ferry Terminal remains an eyesore 8 years after 2017 hurricanes
It started with a makeshift tent in the first months after the hurricanes. Public officers, visitors and residents had to be housed under a tent in an open space for entrance, exit and conducting business, including the collection of government funds.
Years later, following the outcry, a temporary facility was constructed to house ferry companies, Immigration, Customs and the BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) agencies. However, the space is small and often crammed. The ferry dock, where the boats must dock to clear Customs and Immigration, can only accommodate one vessel at a time.
The dock also appears to be undermined and dilapidated. Many persons, including public officers using the facility, complain of the heat inside, the space limitations, and how it is in disrepair with an ugly aesthetic on the outside.
The West End Ferry Terminal continues to be a major point for departures and arrivals for ferries, charter vessels, local power boats, vessels from the USVI, Jost van Dyke and many going to the Cays for leisure.
New one coming soon?
To their credit, the Government of the Virgin Islands, via the BVI Ports Authority, has in the works the building of a new, modern, hurricane-resistant West End Ferry Terminal, hopefully to replace the temporary structure currently used. The last update was believed to be around February 2025, when the public was told that the bids received were over the government's budget of $15 million. The bids came in as high as $64 and $94 million US Dollars.
It is unclear what the way forward is, and in the meantime, the West End Ferry Terminal continues to be an embarrassment for the territory’s ports, not offering the best welcome to residents, nationals returning home, visitors, and others using the facility.
Meanwhile, BVIPA Deputy Managing Director Dean B. Fahie declined to comment, while Minister for Communications and Works Hon Kye M. Rymer (R5) asked for more time to respond.
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21 Responses to “West End Ferry Terminal remains an eyesore 8 years after 2017 hurricanes”
Election is almost here
Everything looks like absolute crap, and the government pretends they are "working"