A proposed CARICOM ferry service should be designed first and foremost around the commercial movement of goods, with passenger transport treated as secondary, economist Jeremy Stephen has suggested, if the initiative is to achieve financial sustainability and avoid the pitfalls that plagued past regional transport ventures.

Stephen, who is also a pilot and aviation consultant, has thrown his support behind the latest intra-regional project — provided leaders firmly focus on the commercial movement of goods as the primary driver.

A day after CARICOM leaders agreed to launch an interim “proof of concept” trial within months, Stephen argued that a dedicated cargo-centric model is the only financially viable path forward for the region.