Air and Sea Ports return to normalcy

By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

RL Bradshaw International airport

Having mostly been spared the torrential rains and high-speed winds of Omar, air and sea travel to and from St. Kitts-Nevis has returned to a state of normalcy on both islands, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) reported today (Oct. 17).

SKNVibes spoke to Delcia Bradley-King, Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations at SCASPA, who reported that “the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport and Vance Amory Airport have both returned to full service at this time, as have the ferry services between St. Kitts-Nevis”.

When contacted both regional carriers LIAT and WinAir confirmed that flight schedules had returned to normal, including those flights routed through Antigua.

King did state, however, that the Sea Bridge and Sea Hustler ferries ran aground in Nevis due to the storm’s tidal surges and would remain out of operation until repairs to the vessels could be carried out. 

 Also impacted by the rough sea conditions was the expected arrival of the first cruise ship of the 2008/2009 season, the MV Marco Polo. The cancelled 850-passenger vessel came as a blow to taxi-drivers and vendors planning to make their first substantial earnings of the season, with one such entrepreneur calling the cancellation a “bad omen for the year”.  ~~Adz:Right~~

Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis, Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas remained optimistic despite the tourism setback when he delivered his post-hurricane address yesterday (Oct. 16).

“There was no damage to the cruise pier in Port Zante. There is no doubt that the redesigning of the berthing facility…secured this very important infrastructure. [The Marco Polo] is somewhat of a setback but, with God’s help, we can look forward to the arrival of the MV Carnival Miracle next Saturday [Oct. 25] because our cruise infrastructure remains truly intact.”

Road conditions in St. Kitts, particularly along the Old Road Bay Road, have once again become passable after storm surges and winds deposited much debris and eroded sections of the road. Persons traveling along this and other impacted stretches have been asked by the Ministry of Public Works to drive cautiously as crews continue to conduct necessary clean-up and repair efforts.

When contacted, the Ministry of Public Works in Nevis reported that “everything is back to normal and there are no major road issues to speak of” on the island.

Other islands impacted by Hurricane Omar have not fared as well as the Federation, however, with Antigua, St. Vincent and Dominica all reporting significant flooding damage that continues to choke vital transportation routes.