Fort Bay

Fort Bay is the official and only port on the island of Saba and sits on the south side of the island, about 1 mile (1.6 km) by road from The Bottom. The port is very important for the island as most of its supplies arrive here by boat. The port currently has two piers.

Fort Bay
Fort Bay
Location
CountrySaba
LocationThe Bottom, Saba
Coordinates17°36′59.04″N 63°15′5.04″W
Details
Opened1972
Type of harborArtificial
Piers2
Statistics
Website
www.sabaport.com

Structure

Before the construction of the first pier at Fort Bay in 1972,[1] Ladder Bay (and its 800 perilous steps hand-cut out of the cliffside) was the only way to get any goods or people on or off the island. Since then, Fort Bay harbor has grown to two piers, the larger dedicated to cargo and dive boats, while the second smaller pier is mostly used by local fishermen. The port is also home to the Saba Sea Rescue Organization that have a rescue ship stationed just outside the mouth to the port. The ship is equipped with decompression tanks, rescue equipment and personnel. On land, there are also two decompression tanks that are used in diving emergency situations. During 2010–2011, various improvements were made to the Fort Bay harbor, including the quay wall, boat ramp, and retaining wall.[2]

The port also contains two bars and one restaurant which are frequently visited by locals and tourists. Additionally the only gas station on the island is situated here and is supplied by Royal Dutch Shell.

Fort Bay has been affected by several hurricanes over the years, including breakwaters damage in Hurricane Lenny in 1999,[1] one of the piers being destroyed by Hurricane Omar in 2008, and the fisherman's pier being damaged by Hurricane Irma and later destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017.[3]

Transport

Fort Bay has two ferry services operating between Saba and Sint Maarten. The ferries that operate these routes are The Edge (based on Sint Maarten) and Dawn 2 (based on Saba), with almost daily trips.[4]

References
  1. Van Vilsteren, W.L. Fort Bay, Saba: A study on hurricane condities. October 2001. Delft University of Technology.
  2. New Quay Fort Bay Harbour Saba. Janssen de Jong Caribbean. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  3. Durand, Hazel. Fort Bay harbor Saba damaged after Hurricane Maria. 21 September 2017. Caribbean Network News.
  4. Travel Info. Saba Tourist Bureau. Retrieved 11 November 2018.


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