Saint Lucia SOLD OUT: GPH makes over $4 Million EC in January 2025

The latest figures are in, and they confirm what many feared: Saint Lucians have been sold out by their own government. In January 2025 alone, Global Ports Holding (GPH) raked in a staggering US$1.5 million from cruise passenger fees, while the Saint Lucia Air & Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) walked away with a mere US$150,000.

This disaster stems from a deal signed by Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire, and Ports Minister Stephenson King, handing GPH the right to collect US$10 per cruise passenger coming through Port Castries and Soufriere, while SLASPA, our own national entity receives just US$1 per passenger.

In January alone, Saint Lucia saw an estimated 155,900 cruise passengers between these two ports. The math is simple:

GPH: US$1,559,000 or EC$4,162,530

SLASPA: US$155,900 or EC$416,253

At this rate, GPH is set to make tens of millions of dollars annually and all they had to do was invest US$40 million for a 40-year stranglehold on Saint Lucia’s cruise sector. Meanwhile, SLASPA the entity that should be benefiting Saint Lucians remains stuck with scraps.

This is a betrayal of the highest order. Instead of securing a deal that empowers Saint Lucians and strengthens our economy, Pierre and his government have sold out our ports to a foreign entity that will be draining millions from our country for four decades.

How is this a good deal for Saint Lucia? How can the government justify giving away control of our ports for less than what GPH will make in a single year?

Once again, the Pierre administration has proven that their priority is not the people—but their foreign friends. And as Saint Lucians struggle with a high cost of living, unemployment, and crumbling infrastructure, one thing is clear: the only ones getting rich under this government are those who have bought them out.