SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM) held a very important meeting on Thursday morning, December 12, 2024, with key stakeholders in the marine industry to address pressing safety and security concerns.

The meeting, was represented by Inspector R.Doran of Police-Post Simpson Bay along with Community Police Inspectors S.Richardson. (Simpson Bay) and J.Boyrard (Lowlands), brought together representatives from the Coast Guard, Island Water World, Yacht Club Port De Plaisance (YCPDP), Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority (SI), and IGY Marinas.

Key Topics Discussed:

The meeting focused on the following main topics to ensure enhanced safety and collaboration within the marine sector:

Theft of Dinghies:

The increasing incidents of dinghy theft on both sides of the island were extensively discussed. Stakeholders shared insights and explored effective policing measures to address this issue.

Procedures for Filing Complaints:

The group reviewed the current procedures for reporting stolen property, emphasizing the importance of efficient and accessible processes for victims.

Safety Measures being Implemented by KPSM:

The police force outlined recent and upcoming safety measures being put in place to help safeguard the marine community as well as the general public and visitors.

Collaborative Efforts and Solutions:

The meeting fostered a collaborative environment, with all participants contributing ideas and proposed solutions to strengthen security for the marine industry.

KPSM expressed its gratitude to all attendees for recognizing the importance of these issues and dedicating their time to this initiative. Their valuable input will play a crucial role in shaping future strategies to protect Sint Maarten’s marine industry and community in general.

SABA/SINT EUSTATIUS – Dutch State Secretary Zsolt Szabó of Kingdom Relations and Digitalization, signed on Tuesday a memoranda of understanding for the support and leadership program for the promoting of good governance on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. He signed the agreements with the island governors of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, the professional associations of mayors, aldermen, municipal council members, municipal secretaries and clerks.

The support program makes the professional development supply of professional associations available for Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. It concerns, among other things, workshops, education and trainings for Island Council members, commissioners, island governors, clerks and staff of the clerk. The Caribbean context and the needs of the islands will be taken into consideration.

A memorandum for each of the three islands was drafted and signed by the state secretary and Island Governors John Soliano of Bonaire, Alida Francis of Sint Eustatius and Jonathan Johnson of Saba on Tuesday.

On behalf of the professional associations Jeroen van Gool of the Association of Aldermen, Abdullah Uysal of the Association for Councilors, Arnout van Kooij of the Association of Clerks, Hilde Westera of the Dutch Association of Mayors and Esther Sommer of the Association of Municipal Secretaries signed the agreement.

Priorities

‘I am very content that the professional associations and the islands decided to join forces to realize this’, said State Secretary Szabó. The support program fits well in one of the priorities of the state secretary, namely the promoting of good governance.

‘For the promoting of good governance it is important to invest in the professionalizing of the position and effectivity of political office holders, island secretaries and island clerks’, stated Szabó. The two other priorities of the state secretary are solid public finances and increasing the self-reliance of the islands.

Further strengthening

‘Capacity strengthening is very important for a small island like Saba and we can benefit from the support offered. At the same time the professional associations can also learn from Saba’, said Island Governor Johnson. ‘The development of the islands is a process that we need to give content to together. This program is an important instrument to help each other’, said Island Governor Soliano. ‘In the interest of further development of the islands, we move together for the further strengthening of the local public administration’, said Island Governor Francis. ‘For us this means that the input and support of the past years is consolidated so we can support Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba for multiple years’, said Van Gool of the Association of Aldermen.

Strength of democracy

‘A strong council matters. With this program we are investing in the strength of the local democracy’, stated Uysal of the Association for Councilors. ‘This is a next step in our contacts and further professionalizing of the islands governors’, said Westera of the Dutch Association of Mayors. ‘It is great to continue working together on a stronger government’, stated Sommer of the Association of Municipal Secretaries.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations (BZK) facilitates the program with a subsidy grant to the professional associations. Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba and the professional associations have been intensely involved in the setting up of the program.

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – Disaster Coordinator and Fire Commander Clive Richardson, said that fire safety is important during the holiday season as families come together to celebrate.

There are a number of simple precautionary measures that households can put in place to prevent home fires in order to avoid injury to persons or damage to homes while members of the family and friends remain safe enjoying the holiday season.

Typical holiday season fires result from the Christmas trees, candles, and unattended cooking.

Take the following precautionary measures into consideration:

• Test your smoke alarms if you have one in your home.
• Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
• Place Christmas trees at least 3 ft. from any heat source.
• Water live Christmas trees on a regular basis (trees should have fresh green needles) and dispose of them safely within four weeks of setting them up.
• Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
• Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory. Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.
• Replace any string lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
• Connect no more than three strands of mini light sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs.
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.
• Blow out lit candles when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Turn off all string lights before leaving home or going to bed.
  Do not burn Christmas tree branches or wrapping paper.
• Keep children and pets away from lit candles.
• Stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stovetop.

The Fire Department management and staff wish everyone a happy, safe, and fire-free holiday season.

In the event of an emergency, call 919.

SABA/SINT EUSTATIUS - The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) set the maximum tariffs for electricity and drinking water on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, Caribbean Netherlands (CN) for 2025. The ACM does this annually, making sure that customers do not pay too much and that the production companies have sufficient financial room for investments needed to make the production of electricity and drinking water more sustainable.

This is important to protect customers and because the islands have major sustainability and expansion projects planned for 2025 and beyond. Making energy and drinking water production more sustainable on the islands is not only good for the climate, but it also makes energy and drinking water prices on the islands less dependent on volatile fuel prices. Expansions are needed to facilitate the growth on the islands.

The ACM sets these maximum tariffs based on the costs incurred by the producers and distributors, ensuring that these costs are not unnecessarily high. The fuel prices have a significant impact on the level of the tariffs because a lot of fossil fuels are currently still used to produce electricity and drinking water. Because the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management subsidise certain tariffs for electricity and drinking water, some prices that customers have to pay are lower than the maximum tariffs set by the ACM. It is not known at this time how much those subsidies will be.

Bonaire

On Bonaire, the maximum consumption tariff for electricity drops from about USD 0.36/kWh to about USD 0.31/kWh. The maximum standing charge for electricity rises by about 18% on average, with the amount of the charge depending on the importance of the connection. For the consumption of an average household (about 210 kWh), this means that a customer will spend about $65 per month on consumption of electricity from 1 January 2025. The standing charge is added to that, which is likely to be subsidised in 2025 as well. The cap on the pagabon (prepaid) tariff remains stable at around USD 0.64/kWh. This rate is also likely to be subsidised in 2025.

The maximum tariff for consumption of drinking water falls from about USD 4.17/m3 to about USD 4.06/m3. For an average household, this means a decrease of about USD 1.25 per month on the bill. The maximum standing charge for a household increases from USD 47.14 per month to USD 51.23 per month.

All these amounts do not yet include subsidies.

Saba

On Saba, the maximum consumption tariff for electricity increases from about USD 0.37/kWh to about USD 0.38/kWh. The maximum standing charge for electricity increases by around 5% for all connection categories. For the consumption of an average household, this means that a customer on Saba will spend about USD 80 per month on electricity consumption from 1 January 2025. The standing charge is added to that, which is likely to be subsidised in 2025 as well.

All these amounts do not yet include subsidies.

St. Eustatius

On St. Eustatius, the maximum consumption tariff for electricity drops from about USD 0.39/kWh to about USD 0.30/kWh. The maximum standing charge for electricity rises significantly. They double for all connection categories. For the consumption of an average household, this means that a customer will spend about USD 63 per month on electricity from 1 January 2025. The standing charge is added to that, which is likely to be subsidised in 2025 as well.

The maximum tariff for consumption of drinking water rises from about USD 8.29/m3 to about USD 11.30/m3. This is mainly due to leakage losses being higher than anticipated in 2022. For an average household, this means an increase of about USD 30 a month on the bill. The maximum standing charge for a household drops from USD 95.39 per month to USD 72.67 per month.

All these amounts also do not yet include subsidies.