Officials within the Immigration Department and the BVI Ports Authority are concerned following a string of incidents in which cruise ship passengers have failed to return to their ships after arriving in the territory.
The issue centres around passengers from the Norwegian Sky cruise ship where five individuals have gone missing over recent visits, prompting discussions between authorities about how to address the situation.
Acting Chief Immigration Officer Nadia Demming-Hodge acknowledged the concerns and explained that the Immigration Department is investigating the issue.
“It is concerning to us because despite us doing checks of persons on these ships, there are persons that are using this as a mechanism to facilitate illicit activity, which is something that we are prepared to address,” Demming-Hodge said.
She confirmed that the Department investigates all passengers before they arrive. If anything suspicious is found, they can prevent individuals from disembarking. However, Demming-Hodge admits that some people still “slip through”.
Meanwhile, Marketing Manager at the BVI Ports Authority, Natasha Chalwell, described the situation as sensitive. “They are not topics that I’m at liberty to just expose publicly.” She emphasised that the Ports Authority would follow guidance from the Immigration Department.
Demming-Hodge stressed that collaboration is critical as officials work to curb these incidents. “We’re in the process currently of engaging with our industry partners, the Ports Authority and so on, and that would also eventually include the cruise lines.”
The Acting Immigration Chief said her department intends to increase pre-arrival checks and issue restrictions to prevent individuals from evading authorities and potentially disappearing after arriving in the BVI.
