Dear Reader

We will be the last to write that work should not be done by the book. However, in an effort to rebuild the country and get the economy going again, too much bureaucracy can place a damper on the enthusiasm to get certain work done in a quick and timely manner.

The ca ll of Jeff Boyd to get permission to remove sunken vessels from the Port de Plaisance marina is a call that needs to be heeded by government. The marine sector is a vital contributor to the economy and if one is to get this key performer ready for the upcoming high season in the yachting industry, claims that paperwork and registration of sunken boats need to be checked first before their removal from the lagoon waters can authorized, then we say do that at a designated location where the boats can be stored so that owners, insurance companies and their adjusters can do their work unencumbered by reconstruction work that urgently needs to be done in order have a marina ready to receive mega yachts by November 1st. Fortunately, permission was granted to proceed with the plans to remove sunken vessels from the PdP marina expeditiously. Read more here...

The first session of the Court in First Instance in the courthouse yesterday after Hurricane Irma was a special one. The focus of the trials on Wednesday was on looters and it was the first time that the court allowed camera teams to film in the courtroom. In the morning and early afternoon journalist Gertjan Zwanikken had his equipment rolling for a report that will later be broadcast by Zembla in the Netherlands and later in the afternoon a French TV-team showed up as well. See a number of reports below regarding sentencing of looters in the courthouse yesterday.

News that makes you hmmmm.... " A large crocodile found kept at a private residence". Yes, here on St. Maarten. Not in the Florida wetlands or in the Australian outback. But here on St. Maarten, right over there in Cul-de-Sac. Read the police report here.

While Winair has reduced its fleet of Twin Otters from 5 to 3 aircrafts, Divi Divi Air in Curacao is adding two new Twin Otters to their fleet. The first aircraft arrived on Monday. Read the full report with an interview with the CEO, photos and videos online here.

PwC St. Maarten has vacancies for tax filing assistants. Click here to view their vacancy advertisement.

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