A new vessel will officially begin serving the island with the inaugural visit of the HSC “Ruby Express” to Port Castries on Tuesday.
Part of the L’ Express des Îles fleet, the ferry made a test visit to the island in August and will now officially begin voyages throughout the region.
The vessel can carry 428 passengers and hold up to 50 cars and 4 buses. Like its sister vessels, the Ruby Express will connect the Creole and French-speaking territories in the region, namely Saint Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Dominica.
Plans to connect this high-speed vessel to other territories in the Caribbean are underway.
L’Express des Îles, which has been operational in Saint Lucia since 1994, was recently acquired by the German-based international ferry company Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS).
According to the FRS website, the acquisition is part of the company’s “focus on diversifying the range of offered routes.”
“This acquisition not only reflects our commitment to international expansion but also our determination to gain a foothold in new markets,” said company CEO Götz Becker in an official statement.
L’ Express des Îles believes the new vessel should help address the long-standing issues associated with regional travel. Tourism officials are also optimistic that it will contribute to the ongoing rebound of the island’s cash cow industry in the post-COVID era.
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Well this is wonderful.
I do hope Ruby has found a way to check in her passengers in a better and more organized fashion, unlike the sister ship that takes 1-2 hours, standing in lines . Not enjoyable
It would be nice if Ruby will traverse the countries in the southern region. Like St. Vincent, Grenada, Trinidad etc.
Would love to see this go towards servicing of the other Caribbean islands also
Interesting that it has been taken over by a German group. They must have seen viable economic possibilities for expansion. We wish them all the best fortune.
It will be a game changer if they expand to Dominica and Grenada and all Lucians look forward to that. We will be surprised how quickly the usage expands.
Most of us have always found the service to Martinique to be very efficient and it is a joy to be able to go to that island by sea. Our connections with them run deep.
Welcome Ruby Express new commer to St Lucia 🇱🇨 but not for the ocean, which I have traveled on Guadeloupe central bay to marie Galante in fifteen or less thirty minutes, also Jet kat Express which is the fastest…