The Canadian government has advised citizens traveling to Sint Maarten to expect a “nationwide blackout,” but its color-coded risk-level travel advisories still give the island a “green” status, meaning travellers should “take normal safety precautions.”
Safety and security travel advice was updated on June 5, 2024, warning that power outages could occur several times a day and last for long periods of time. Canadians were advised to keep emergency kits on hand, including flashlights, power banks and chargers, if travelling to Sint Maarten.
Commenting on the recommendation, Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economy, Transport and Communications (TEATT), said: “Green is the lowest risk level and indicates that the country is still safe for travel.”
“There is no need to panic,” Heyliger-Maarten said, “In fact, Sint Maarten has the same risk level as Aruba and Curacao, which indicates that the destination is still considered safe and that there are no significant threats to traveller safety.”
“In fact, the Netherlands and France are classified as 'yellow,' meaning that Canadian travellers visiting these European countries should 'exercise a high level of caution' due to the terrorist threat in Europe,” she continued.
The other two risk levels are orange, which means Canadians should avoid non-essential travel to those areas, and red, which means travellers should avoid all travel to designated locations.
“It is true that we are facing a crisis in terms of electricity supply, but the government, working closely with GEBE, is doing everything in its power to restore normal electricity supply,” the minister said.
Heyliger-Marten said she thinks the Canadian government likely took this into consideration in its latest travel advice, which is why the island is still classified as “green.” This status means that travellers should take the same precautions they would if they were in Canada, such as being aware of their surroundings and protecting their personal belongings, but there are no significant safety or security concerns that would require increased caution or avoiding travel to the island.
“We are monitoring how our tourism-sending countries are dealing with the current power challenges they are facing, but there is currently no need for alarm,” Minister Heyliger-Marten stressed.
Power outages have been implemented in Sint Maarten recently because the country's only electricity supplier, NV GEBE, is unable to generate enough electricity to serve the entire population.
Last Sunday, the island was hit by a nationwide power outage and a fire at the Cay Bay Power Plant.
In a recent statement, NV GEBE cited ageing generating units, climate change and economic growth as reasons for the surge in electricity demand.
The energy company suffered another blow Thursday night when one of its engines suffered an unexpected fuel leak, necessitating emergency repairs expected to take four to five hours, disrupting service in some areas.
The negative effects of the power outage are being felt.
The Daily Herald, a leading newspaper in Sint Maarten, announced today that it will cease publication. In a statement, the newspaper explained that due to frequent and prolonged power outages affecting its internal systems, it will not be possible to publish the newspaper on Friday, June 6, 2024.
