Gustavia- 1973/2017

Thank you Andy.

Quite a comparison. Thanks for posting this, Andy. Note the container ship approaching Public in the 2017 photo. A key decision was made by St. Barth to have its commercial Port separate from the inner harbor where private vessels dock...unlike many other Caribbean islands where large commercial vessels are tied up next to pleasure vessels. In St. Barth, that separation has created the charm and beauty of the harbor.

Interesting point, Julianne . . . I never focused on the strategic nature of the commercial port's location. Someone was far sighted in that decision.

In fact, at one time the ports were one and the same. but since much of what is imported to the island comes via the port, the decision was made in 1983 to separate them and create the commercial dock. It sees all kinds of boats, from small cargo vessels to container ships, not to mention the oil tankers.

in 2016 alone there were more than 7,400 20-ft containers unloaded at that dock, not to mention thousands of gallons of fuel delivered for the power plant, etc....
it is a major operation...