Member of Parliament Aukje de Vries (VVD) has raised concerns about the slow progress in plans for a new port in Saba, questioning the government on the reasons behind the delays. “Why is this taking so long, given that the project was initiated in 2018 after Hurricane Irma damaged Saba’s port?” she asked State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Zsolt Szabo in a series of written questions.

De Vries highlighted the motion submitted by her party colleague, Ingrid Michon-Derkzen et al., in May, which called for prompt discussions between the relevant ministries and Saba’s Executive Council to expedite the project. The motion also requested that the House of Representatives be informed of the outcomes by June 15. De Vries now seeks clarification on why this deadline was missed and requests an update on the project’s current status. She stressed the critical importance of the port for Saba, particularly in ensuring the island’s food supply.

Her concerns were further underscored by the vulnerability of the existing port, which was highlighted earlier this week when Tropical Storm Ernesto brought high waves that deposited large boulders onto the pier and surrounding harbor area.

1. Do you remember the motion by Michon-Derkzen et al. on the port of Saba?
2. Why was the House of Representatives not informed by 15 June 2024 at the latest, as requested by the motion?
3. What has the Cabinet done in response to this motion?
4. What interviews took place? And what is the outcome? Has the possibility of a loan also been discussed? If not, why not?
5. To what extent have the possibilities of austerity of the project also been discussed? If so, what options are there?
6. What is the current state of affairs? What is currently the financial gap for the realization of the Port of Saba project? What possibilities does the government see together with Saba for solving this?
7. What solutions does the government see to solve the problems of the port of Saba? When can this be clarified?
8. Is it true that there must be clarity before 25 September? If not, what is the deadline? If so, is it being achieved, and why is it not being achieved? What are the consequences of not meeting the deadline?
9. What are the consequences for Saba if the port is not addressed, because the port is of vital importance to Saba, among other things for the supply of food, and there is no clarity before 25 September?
10. Why is it all taking so long, because the project was already started in 2018 after the port of Saba was damaged by Hurricane Irma and is generally not sufficiently hurricane-proof.
11. Can you answer the written questions within the agreed period of 3 weeks, also because of the deadline of 25 September?

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