Herman Sargeant

SVG has been undergoing extensive maintenance on its aircraft, and prior to the start of the season they unfortunately lost two engineers. Since then, the airline has been diligently working on securing another engineer and completing the necessary maintenance on its fleet. SGV has also lost three of its Islander Pilots making it impossible to crew the aircraft and maintain a schedule. The airline says, however, it has been able to sub-charter other operators, such as Fly Montserrat, Trans Anguilla and Caribbean Helicopters to assist in filling the void. The company says the safety of passengers and crew remains its highest priority. In addition, the Twin Otter was sent to the USA for its annual inspection and, if all goes well, is expected to return by the end of February. SVG says its booking system will reopen for March.

Montserrat entrepreneurs are invited to register for the upcoming sixth edition of the Caribbean Business Cruise later this year. The cruise, which is being conducted in collaboration with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), will take place from March 8th to 15th, 2026. Local entrepreneur Crystal Edgecombe took part in the 2025 edition of the cruise, promoting her brand GLOW H and B Essentials. Entrepreneurs from across the region will engage in prospecting missions, business round-tables, and B2B meetings at each stop over, to identify opportunities and partnerships. They will also have the chance to promote products and services, and share best practices with private and public leaders from the Caribbean. On board the cruise, participants will take part in a business seminar, top-quality regional and international professional networking, conference-debates, workshops, and experience-sharing, all within an original working environment. For more information, and to register, persons can visit the website www.isanaja-consulting.com, email contact@isanaja-consulting.com, or call +590 690 408 212. More information can also be found on the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States social media pages.

The Montserrat Association for Persons with Disabilities (MAPD) joins the global community in marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025 under the theme “Fostering disability‑inclusive societies for advancing social progress.” This theme speaks directly to Montserrat’s future: the island cannot achieve real social and economic progress while disabled people continue to face barriers in work, education, health, transport, housing and public life. MAPD welcomes the fact that the Government of Montserrat has now agreed a National Disability Policy and that the new Population Policy recognises disability inclusion as essential to Montserrat’s development. Together, these policies identify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as the “north star” for action and sit alongside existing protections in the Labour Code, the OECS Building Code, CROSQ standards and the Montserrat Constitution. The challenge now is to move from frameworks on paper to real enforcement, so that non‑discrimination, reasonable accommodation and accessibility requirements are implemented in every ministry, workplace and public service. Steve Weekes, Vice President of MAPD, said: “We are grateful for the opportunities we’ve had over the past year to contribute to policy developments on the island, and there has been a very noticeable increase in consultation since last year’s draft National Disability Policy. With this year’s theme of ‘Fostering disability‑inclusive societies for advancing social progress,’ we are calling for that consultation to be matched by concrete action, proper enforcement of existing standards and real investment in accessibility, so that disabled people on Montserrat – and those who wish to return – can live, work and participate on equal terms.” MAPD is actively seeking new volunteers on island and in the diaspora to help with advocacy, peer support, outreach and practical accessibility projects. Anyone wishing to get involved, seek support or discuss partnership opportunities is invited to contact MAPD through our Facebook page @montserratdisability.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Environment, Youth and Sports Daphne Cassell welcomed a Bio-security Training Workshop for the UK Overseas Territories earlier this week. The workshop took place under the project “Enabling Effective Biosecurity in the UK Overseas Territories.”   Speaking at the launch Mrs. Cassell stated that the week’s agenda reflected the complexity and urgency of the biosecurity challenges the OT’s face, from invasive alien species, that are real, immediate, and in some cases, already causing significant harm. She noted that Montserrat has witnessed first-hand the serious damage caused by a number of invasive species, including the red imported fire ant, that has impacted both agriculture and recreational spaces, while rats have been observed preying on the eggs of national bird – the endemic Montserrat Oriole. The chytrid fungus, that has tragically led to the extinction of the Mountain Chicken in the wild on Montserrat, sweet potato weevil, and melon worm continue to destroy agricultural crops, were also highlighted, along with feral chickens which are known to compete with native birds for food resources and contribute to agricultural losses.   Meanwhile, the croton scale has taken a toll on the horticultural sector, affecting both livelihoods and the aesthetics of landscapes. Mrs. cassell says, in response to the threat posed by invasive species, the Ministry has initiated a number of targeted control measures aimed at strengthening the island’s national biosecurity system. These include the development and implementation of a risk assessment and biosecurity protocol for the importation of sand and aggregate, enhanced inspections at ports of entry and the systematic treatment of fire ant infestations across all residential areas of Montserrat. The Department of Environment has also launched a public awareness campaign to engage communities in early detection and prevention efforts of invasive species. To protect vulnerable wildlife, particularly nesting seabirds, Mrs. Cassell revealed that the Department of Environment has implemented a trapping and removal programme targeting feral cats in key coastal sites. This intervention is helping to reduce pressure and restore breeding success of seabirds in sensitive habitats. Additional surveillance protocols have been introduced, including weekly inspections of imported aggregate mounds and mitigation measures such as mandatory treatment plans for aggregate shipments. Officers have also conducted site visits to source countries to assess biosecurity risks at origin and strengthen upstream controls. Overall the Permanent Secretary said, these efforts reflect the ministry’s broader commitment to building a resilient, science-based bio-security framework to protect Montserrat’s environment, economy, and way of life.