Federal gov’t mobilising in response to charter yacht fee increase by VI
.jpg)
This is according to Small Business Administration Atlantic Regional Administrator Matt Coleman, who visited the USVI last week. Mr Coleman, according to the VI Consortium, said the VI government recently enacted trade measures that “monetarily punish US marine small businesses crossing that historically shared waterway between our islands,” including fee hikes “from $400 to $24,000 annually.”
“That’s a whopping 6,000% increase,” Coleman said, adding, “and it’s absolutely numbing.”
‘Whole of government approach’
Coleman stated that the SBA is leading efforts to address the economic challenges through coordination with federal partners, including the US Department of State, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies and sub-agencies.
“The SBA is leading the charge to address these economic challenges through a whole of government approach,” he said.
Project Fair Waters, a coalition representing a wide span of the USVI’s maritime economy — including charter operators, marine suppliers, fuel providers, marinas, restaurants, grocers, hoteliers and transportation operators — has asserted that the new structure has already prompted at least 90 charter vessels that once operated from the US Virgin Islands to relocate to the Virgin Islands.
According to the coalition, the shift has pulled nearly $14 million in direct spending out of the US Virgin Islands economy. Projected losses, when accounting for provisioning, maintenance, hospitality and transportation impacts, are estimated to reach $100 million annually.
VI don’t get $25B but ‘we too have to eat’- Gov Bryan Jr
The Commercial Recreational Vessel Licensing (Amendment) Act, 2025, was passed by the House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands on May 6, 2025, assented to by Governor Daniel Pruce, the United Kingdom’s (UK) representative, on May 30, and took effect on June 1, 2025. The legislation amended the VI’s 1992 licensing framework to impose expanded licensing requirements, new charter limits, time restrictions, and revised fee structures on commercial recreational vessels based outside the territory.
Late last year, USVI Governor Albery A. Bryan Jr wrote to President Trump and his Cabinet seeking federal action in dealing with the increase in charter vessel fees by the VI.
Governor Bryan, in his final State of the Territory Address at Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall on St Thomas, USVI, on January 26, 2026, stated that the USVI received $25B in federal funding for its recovery and development, while the VI didn’t have access to such funding; however, the USVI still wanted a piece of the VI’s marine pie.
“We respect that the BVI needs additional revenue to pave their roads. They don’t have twenty-five billion dollars. They need money to build their infrastructure and move their society forward, but we too have to eat, and their policies should not and will not create barriers in these Virgin Islands that impede our economy and commerce,” Governor Bryan boldly stated in his address.
According to the VI Consortium, because the Virgin Islands’ external affairs fall under the authority of the United Kingdom, territorial officials in the USVI cannot independently negotiate for relief.
.jpg)
Follow Us On
47 Responses to “Federal gov’t mobilising in response to charter yacht fee increase by VI”
Many sociologists and local activists argue that the USVI (and much of the Caribbean) operates under "Neo-Colonialism.
” The "Eat" Factor: When Governor Bryan says "we too have to eat," he is referring to the fact that while the boat owner (often white and non-resident) takes the lion's share of the profit, the USVI government and local workers are fighting over the remaining "scraps"—the dockage fees, the taxi fares, and the grocery sales. The $25B in federal aid mentioned by Gov. Bryan is a "one-time" infusion for disaster recovery; it is not a permanent wage subsidy.
Profit Distribution: It is estimated that 70% to 80% of the gross revenue from a high-end yacht charter goes toward the owner’s boat mortgage, insurance, corporate management fees, and profit.
Historically, the "front-facing" roles on luxury yachts—captains and permanent crews—have been dominated by "expats" (from the U.S. mainland, South Africa, or Europe).
Historically shared waterway between our islands...Who Gained: The Revenue Imbalance
Before the 2025 fee hikes, the distribution of wealth was heavily skewed toward USVI-based entities:
The USVI Economy: Captured approximately $166 million annually through "homeporting" services, including provisioning, fuel, maintenance, and hotel stays by charter guests.
Yacht Owners: Generated between $300,000 and $1,000,000 per vessel annually.
The BVI Government: Collected only about $200 to $800 per vessel in annual licensing fees—a rate that had not been updated since 1992.
The Channeling of Wealth (Pre-2025 Model)
Under the previous "shared" understanding, the economic flow looked like this:
The Resource: The BVI provided the "scenery" (The Baths, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada).
The Revenue: A luxury charter could earn $300,000 to $1,000,000 annually.
The Destination of Profits: Because the boats were "homeported" in the USVI, the 70% to 80% allocated to debt service, insurance, and profit went to mainland US banks or expat owners living in St. Thomas.
The BVI Share: For decades, the BVI only captured a $1,000 annual license fee from these million-dollar vessels. In this context, "natural resource wealth" was effectively being exported for almost no return.
The BVI’s Move Toward "Economic Self-Determination"
The BVI's 2025 Commercial Recreational Vessel Licensing Act is a direct attempt to "tax the wealth" at the source:
Capturing the Leakage: By raising annual fees from $800 to $24,000 for unlimited access, the BVI is forcing those "70% to 80%" earners to leave a larger portion of their profit in the BVI treasury.
Forced Relocation: Since June 2025, at least 90 vessels have relocated from the USVI to the BVI. This moves not just the license fees, but also the $14 million spent on provisioning and maintenance into the BVI economy.
The Goal: The BVI government describes this as a "deliberate review" to ensure the territory's natural resources benefit its own people rather than acting as a free backdrop for foreign-owned businesses.
The "Colonization" Counter-Argument
While the BVI is getting a larger "cut" now, the ownership structure remains largely unchanged. Most of the 90 vessels that moved are still owned by the same "expats and mainlanders"; they simply changed their docking location to pay the BVI instead of the USVI.
For the native resident, the primary gain is that the BVI government now has more tax revenue to fund local services, rather than the profit going into a private bank account in Florida or St. Thomas.
Fees for the 90 Relocated (Home-Based) Vessels
For the vessels that moved their operations to the BVI to become "home-based," the fees increased, but they are significantly lower than the "foreign" rates:
Annual License Fee: For a VI-based vessel between 40 and 115 feet, the annual fee quadrupled from $200 to $800.
Operational Requirements: To keep this lower rate, these vessels must now be managed by a BVI-registered company for at least five months a year and originate at least 70% of their charters within the BVI.
Strategic Gain: By paying this $800 instead of the $24,000 foreign fee, these owners save $23,200 annually per boat, which is why at least 90 vessels chose to relocate.
By forcing those 90 vessels to relocate, the BVI has successfully "recaptured" the $14 million in spending (groceries, fuel, repairs), but the underlying structural inequality remains.
Here is how the "USVI struggle" is now being imported into the BVI:
1. Same "Expat Ownership," Different Flag
Because the ownership structure didn't change—just the registration—the 70% to 80% of gross revenue (the real wealth) still leaves the islands.
In the USVI, that money was being sent to banks and owners in the U.S. mainland.
In the BVI, that money is still being sent to those same owners.
The Native BVI resident is now in the same position as the Native USVI resident: they are the ones cleaning the boats, driving the taxis, and stocking the shelves for a median wage, while the massive "capital profit" is exported.
2. The "Imported" Sustainability Crisis
By moving these 90 vessels to BVI docks, the BVI may actually accelerate its own "modern-day colonization" issues:
Housing Inflation: Those 90 boats bring crews (often expats) who need places to live. This drives up rents in Tortola and Virgin Gorda, making it even harder for native BVI residents to afford land—the exact same problem seen in St. Thomas and St. John.
Wage Suppression: If the boat owners are the same people who were paying "unsustainable" wages in the USVI, they are likely to pay similar "entry-level" wages in the BVI, keeping the local population in the service tier rather than the ownership tier.
3. The BVI’s "Strategic Bet"
The BVI government’s gamble is slightly different than the USVI’s. Their logic seems to be:
Step 1: Force the boats to dock here so we at least get the $14M in "scraps" (provisioning/fuel) and the tax revenue.
Step 2: Use that new tax revenue to fund the government.
The Missing Step 3: Neither government has yet solved how to move native-born residents into the "Owner" category (the 80% bracket).
Who truly gained?
In this scenario, the BVI Government gained more tax revenue, and BVI business owners (supermarkets/marinas) gained more customers. However, the Native-Born Resident (the worker) simply traded one set of boats for another.
The "scenery" is still being sold, and the majority of the check is still being cashed by people who don't live in the Caribbean.
The BVI government is not enforcing a "51% Belonger ownership" rule on these 90 vessels because, under BVI law, the yachting and international business sectors are specifically exempted from the local ownership requirements that apply to other small businesses.
This makes the "Modern-Day Colonization" argument stronger, since the laws are intentionally designed to allow foreign capital to control the most profitable industry?
1. The "Business Company" Loophole
While BVI law does have restrictions to protect local trades (like retail or small-scale transport), most charter vessels are registered as BVI Business Companies (BCs).
100% Foreign Ownership: The BVI Business Companies Act explicitly allows foreigners to own 100% of the shares in a BVI company.
The Logic: The BVI is an offshore financial center designed to attract international capital. If they forced 51% local ownership on yachts, most of the industry would simply move to the Cayman Islands or the Bahamas, where 100% foreign ownership is the norm.
The bottom line:
The bottom line is that as long as the islands compete against each other for "scraps," the 70% to 80% of the wealth will continue to flow to the mainland. There is a need for 'Regional Maritime Unity' to break the cycle of what many call "beggar-thy-neighbor" policies.
To move away from this "modern-day colonization" model, experts and local advocates suggest three collective shifts:
1. Unified Caribbean Port Fees
If the USVI, BVI, Antigua, and St. Maarten set a unified regional floor for docking and licensing, mega-yacht owners could no longer "shop around" for the cheapest island. This would force the "expat" owners to pay a fair price for the natural resources of the entire region, rather than playing one territory against the other.
2. Mandatory Local Equity (The "Equity Floor")
Instead of the current "loopholes" for international business companies, a collective Caribbean policy could mandate that any charter vessel operating in the region for more than 90 days must have a percentage of local equity or contribute to a Regional Maritime Wealth Fund. This fund would provide low-interest loans to native-born residents to buy their own vessels, moving them from "cleaning the boat" to "owning the boat."
3. Regional Certification & Labor Standards
By creating a Caribbean-wide Maritime Standard, the islands could ensure that native crews are trained to the same high levels as European or South African crews. This would prevent owners from "importing" outside labor and keep the high-tip, high-salary roles within the local community.
The "Wise Business" Reality
Governor Bryan’s "we too have to eat" comment and the BVI’s 2025 fee hikes are symptoms of a fragmented region. Both governments are currently trying to solve their own debt and infrastructure issues by taxing the same group of boats, while the boat owners remain the only ones truly profiting from the lack of a unified Caribbean maritime strategy.
Play stupid games, win stupid prices.
Long story short, 2 countries need to work together and keep them white people out our business.
Do you even know who invented the modern day toilet?
The Answer- Thomas Elkins (1818 - 1900). Do your own research, and do not allow your mind to be completely brainwashed.
Check yourself, FOOL!
We are the original blue-print. Their genes are recessive, aggressive and animalistic, hence all the brutality of the trans-Saharan and trans Atlantic Trades as well as colonization, that continues to this day. Hence their established systems of mental, emotional, physical, sexual, spiritual, financial and global oppression, religious distraction, environmental destruction, war, cannibalism and like.
Neuro-melanin, the beautiful black pigmentation of the copper-colour skin is the one and only thing that they want and cannot have and therefore eat our pineal glands, placentas, wombs as well as siphon our InnerGod and Goddess' wealth, power and by whitewashing the world BUT NOT anymore. Game Over/Time Up.
We are spiritually now in the Age of Ma'at (Aquarius), The Goddess of Truth, Balance, Order, Black Harmony, Justice, Ethics and Reciprocity and so what does not align gotta collapse as what was intended shall return, basically inescapable KARMA.
As 9-Ether Beings, we are the essence of Great Mother, whose portals they have been frigging with to disturb our InnerGs and High Vibrational Frequencies. As children of Evil, they cannot help themselves and have created masculine deities such as jesus (Zeus or Satan), mohammed, etc. via the masculine trinity from the one adam, who is the only man ever, from which a woman was taken from his rib. Every other man comes forth from a womb-man, the DIVINE FEMININE.
Our spiritual eyes are open/opening, our frequencies are rising and as the lies become more exposed, we continue to re member who we are, our essence, power and purpose to reverse the lies that our Ancestors were beaten and tortured to believe and subsequently passed on to us.
GAME OVER. TIME UP.
Those w**** people are selling our stuff and giving us less than 20 cents on the dollar. Exploiting us for their luxury lifestyles.
Would Neo-colonization House Ns get to use their 'colored-only' indoor toilets again too?
But from reciprical stated we dont want to be blacklisted like cuba.
However @reciprical is the person who made the racist comment and is a local or pretending to be one.
All media is being used to divided mankind
We going hold firm on this. USVI use YOUR waters to make money stop trying to run our backyard!
Its easy to slap man, but can you take slap back.
The reality is that for decades the USVI's economy, particularly in St. Thomas has been built and propped up by BVIslanders in multiple ways. If they want to play stupid games regarding raising fees on the ferries etc., go right ahead! I don't think they have thought this one through very well and they have to go through the United Kingdom on this one, not the BVI Government. BVI did not ban USVI boats from coming, we simply adjusted our fees to where WE FEEL THEY SHOULD BE! The islands are ours so we charge what we want. It's funny that USVI like to invoke the "well that is Federal, we can't change that!" but here trying to %$#@ with our sovereignty! Every country has a right to charge for the use of its natural resources. Nobody is forcing USVI boats to come here, just sail to St John and Epstein island. Oh wait? The tourists don't want that? They want BVI? THEN I GUESS YOU HAVE TO PAY!
Only a mad man like Trump does those things. Well, Belonger Fees increase for 500 to $2500.
Immigration Fees increased from $50 to $300 so in the grand scheme of things we are in the unthinkable age.
Jut remember, Want all, lose all.