BVI has sole say on charter fees, Wheatley tells critics

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has rejected suggestions that the United Kingdom would need to intervene in the charter fee row between the BVI and the US Virgin Islands, insisting that territorial governance places the matter firmly in local hands.

Speaking on Virgin Islands Voice, the government radio programme, Wheatley pointed to the Inter-Virgin Islands Council as the proper forum for resolving disputes between the two island groups. He said the council exists precisely so that "the United States and United Kingdom solving problems for their own territories" becomes unnecessary.

The fee increases have prompted complaints from USVI-based charter operators, who say they face reduced access to BVI waters. Wheatley clarified that the BVI is not simply levying charges on vessels entering its territorial waters. Instead, he explained, the government collects licensing fees from those conducting commercial operations. Recreational boats moving between the territories without offering charters face no such commercial charges.

Wheatley also addressed claims that the BVI is singling out USVI operators. "Nothing we have done is targeted [at] the USVI specifically. It's for all foreign vessels," he said. He noted that locally based charter companies have also seen their fees rise substantially, though they pay less than foreign operators because they generate more direct economic benefit through boat provisioning, repair work and marina use.

On whether the BVI's elected government holds devolved authority over these matters, Wheatley confirmed it does. He acknowledged that the US federal government carries certain responsibilities for the USVI but emphasised that the BVI retains independent power to manage its own waters.