Industry leaders, educators, and government officials convened Thursday to address the future of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ maritime sector, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities.
The Governor’s Workforce Summit opened with a call to action for revitalizing the territory’s maritime sector: “The sea has always been part of our identity but today, it can also drive our future.” The session, titled “Charting a Course: Revitalizing the USVI Marine Industry for Jobs and Growth,” was moderated by Haldane Davies, director of the USVI Bureau of Economic Research, who began by underscoring the industry’s economic impact.
“When we did an analysis … spending in that industry from this one particular sector generated about $92 million here in the United States Virgin Islands. It supported about close to 800 jobs and income generation from that was around $35 million or more. There was about a $61 million contribution to the wider economy and about $40 million to the national or territorial GDP,” Davies said.
The panel featured three diverse voices from the maritime sector: industry, education, and government.
Representing the industry perspective was Kennon Jones, executive director of the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association and a former charter captain. He acknowledged that while the charter business is projected to decline this year, the demand for skilled workers remains high, and he emphasized that the technical and soft skills developed in maritime careers are highly transferable, providing value across a range of industries.
Safiya George, president of the University of the Virgin Islands, noted the institution’s focus on research and workforce development. “At the University of the Virgin Islands, of course, what we mostly focus on is marine science research, and we do have a lot of interest from those here in the territory, as well as from across the country, in marine science research,” George said. “But also as we learn more, seeing how we can expand what we offer, to be able to address the workforce gaps that we’re seeing.”
From a government perspective, Joseph Cranston, marine manager at the Virgin Islands Port Authority, said he is optimistic about the future of the territory’s maritime industry, pointing to youth engagement as a key driver. “I think we will be going back, and we’re coming back strong,” Cranston said. “I look at the positives of it, and I think we have a tremendous marine industry here — a lot of potential and a lot of ways to go.”
The panel addressed the challenges posed by increased fees and licensing structures.“ We have a number of boats relocating over to the BVI this year that previously were located in the USVI due to the increased fees and licensing structure that the BVI put in place this year,” Jones said.
Despite these challenges, panelists expressed optimism about the future, emphasizing the need for continued collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and investment in local talent.
George pointed to the importance of developing skills at all levels, from youth programs to advanced technical training. “We have the Youth Explorers program, it’s a summer program for those in third to sixth grade and seventh grade up to 12th grade to teach water safety skills, swimming, and get youth more interested in marine life,” she said. “We would love to partner with the Virgin Island Technical College or our career technical program here to see how we can expand that to also make that skill based.”
Jones noted that even as the industry faces a potential downturn, the skills developed remain highly relevant and transferable.
“I’d like to just point out, even, despite what … is a potential down year next year, even years before, when I was captaining, the USVI was still at a relative disadvantage, and just the number of mechanics and technicians — for water makers, for air conditioning systems, for boat electronics. All that was still very much a need that we needed to fill, and still do need to fill,” Jones said.
“I don’t want the takeaway to be that now those skills are not relevant, because the industry might be down. It’s still very much needed. And even if you know UVI, for example, is expanding their research capacity, they’re going to need people that are going to maintain those vessels. The Port Authority, when they have vessels in — not just cruise ships, but the pilot vessels need maintaining, anything else that services the facilities that they have, bringing in the large commercial vessels. Everything is touched on maintaining those vessels in the industry,” Jones said.
Panelists also addressed the need to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship. “We sit at the intersection of the blue economy, where we focus on marine science research and restoring and preserving mangroves and coral reefs, but also prepare graduates to enter the hospitality and tourism industry,” George said. “Sustainable tourism is going to be key, and partnership is essential. We can’t do it alone.”
The discussion emphasized that protecting natural resources is not only an ecological imperative but also a cornerstone of the territory’s tourism appeal. “People come down here to see thriving reefs and habitats and mangroves,” said Jones.
Cranston underscored the role of education in fostering environmental responsibility among mariners. “To keep a nice marine industry, we have to sustain the environment, right? And in educating the mariners about the environment and damage you can do, if you don’t properly care for it,” Cranston said. “That’s a part of them being educated and knowing how to treat it and respect it.”
Panelists agreed that data-driven decision-making is essential for sustainable development. George emphasized the importance of understanding visitor preferences to guide future growth: “It’s also important that each of us … collect the data that asks and identifies, what it is that they enjoyed about or what attracted them to the Virgin Islands, that’s different from selecting another island, so we can give them more of that. What it is that they hoped for, that perhaps they didn’t encounter or experience, so that we can do more of that.”
As the panel drew to a close, speakers offered words of encouragement and a call to action for the next generation. Cranston urged young Virgin Islanders to chart a sustainable future. “Every day we wake up and open our eyes, it’s not a dream. We are in paradise, all right, and it’s for us to sustain it and keep it going … for the youth coming up. I just want them to see that the marine industry is a beautiful industry, and there’s so much aspects to it, so endeavor.”
Jones echoed the sentiment about endurance, pointing to a future where Virgin Islanders own and lead more maritime businesses. “We just have to keep marching forward. We have beautiful islands. We have a beautiful place to be and to experience and explore … This is such a great industry to get into, and those skills translate across any industry you end up being in. We just need to keep marching forward — more and more native Virgin Islanders captaining boats, running industries, running maintenance shops, running their own companies. I mean, that’s real long-term positive economic growth, and it’s there, and we need to go get it.”
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