St. Martin News Network - St. Maarten (2024)

Tropical Depression #2 formed South East of St. Maarten.

SPECIAL FEATURE:
1. Tropical Depression 2, formed from Invest 95L, is located 1550 miles southeast of St. Maarten. It is forecast to move westward and cross the Windward Islands late Sunday into Monday. The system is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm tonight or early Saturday and then a hurricane in the next few days. However, it is predicted to pass about 300 miles southwest of St. Maarten and does not pose a direct threat.

2. Another tropical wave, located in the eastern Atlantic, has a high chance (70%) of formation within the next 7 days. Some slow development of this system is possible early next week while it moves generally westward.

Caribbean Guilder Awareness Campaign to Start July 1.

Willemstad/Philipsburg:--- Starting on July 1, a two-nation-wide teaser campaign will be launched by the Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten (CBCS), building curiosity for the new shared currency, the Caribbean guilder. Anticipating the Caribbean guilder entering circulation on March 31, 2025, the campaign marks the start of a month-long journey towards familiarization. Both people from Curaçao and Sint Maarten will figure prominently in the campaign. The object of their interest is not shown, at least not yet. The campaign aims to awaken interest in the new national currency, with familiar faces and a touch of mystery.
The awareness campaign will run through August 22, 2024, when the design of the Caribbean guilder banknotes and coins will be revealed simultaneously in Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Following the reveal of the design of the new banknotes and coins, an information campaign will be launched to introduce the new currency to the public – educating on the banknote and coin characteristics and telling the story behind the design. The CBCS will also start training bank and retail personnel in the use of the new currency.
The new Caribbean guilder banknotes and coins will seamlessly replace those of the Netherlands Antillean guilder after a three-month period of co-circulation in 2025. A secure currency continues to be a pillar of a modern economy. Introducing the Caribbean guilder is the result of the decision of the Governments of Curaçao and Sint Maarten to form a monetary union with a common currency, the Caribbean Guilder, following the restructuring of the countries in 2010. Since 2010, the two countries have been using the currency of a country (the Netherlands Antilles) that no longer exists. The introduction in 2025 is also necessary considering the forecasted drawdown and eventual depletion of stocks of banknotes and coins of the Netherlands Antillean guilder. The outdated specifications of these banknotes and coins pose a risk for the circulation of quality counterfeits. To keep the confidence of the public, banking, and business communities in the national currency, the new Caribbean guilder includes modern security features that will help ensure the efficiency of the payment system.
Willemstad June 28, 2024
CENTRALE BANK VAN CURACAO EN SINT MAARTEN

Max Borsboom new Commander Zr.Ms. Pelikaan.

BES:--- On Friday, June 28, 2024, 1st class Naval Lieutenant CommanderMarc Jereskes transferred command of support vessel Zr.Ms. Pelikaan to 1st class Naval Lieutenant Commander Max Borsboom. The command transfer took place on the RIMA-jetty at the Marine Barracks at Parera, in the presence of the crew and family of both commanders.

Marc looks back on a beautiful period of time: “It gives me great satisfaction when I look back on this period. I am proud to have been part of a team where the crew was there for each other day and night.”
The International training ‘Tradewinds’ was the last large exercise for Marc, as Commander of HNLMS Pelikaan; hereby the international ties in the Caribbean Region were strengthened and the crew of HNLMS Pelikaan was trained to be deployed during the hurricane season.

TELEM Customers will see intermittent unstable services until September, Company asking for patience from its clients.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday morning, the Chief Executive Officer of TELEM Group of Companies, Kendall Dupersoy, informed the media that its systems have not been working optimally over the past weeks.
Dupersoy said TELEM experienced what he described as the perfect storm when the technicians discovered that their systems were corrupted and one of its generators malfunctioned due to mechanical failures. Dupersoy clarified that NV GEBE is not responsible for what happened at TELEM. The CEO said after the island-wide blackout, TELEM technicians discovered some intermittent telecommunications within the network. Dupersoy said after a thorough investigation; they discovered that the 3 G data layer was not functioning optimally since it was corrupted. Due to this, TELEM has decided to upgrade, but this could only take place in September 2024.
TELEM Group of Companies, through its CEO Kendall Dupersoy, explained that the 4g layer is working perfectly; however, the 3g layer is not working, thus causing the services to fall out at certain periods.
Dupersoy called on its clients to be patient with the company and the services they provide. The project will be done through vendor financing by September 2024. The cost for the upgrade will be paid over ten years. He explained that the systems are very old, and most of them are getting to the end of their lifespan.
The CEO said that TELEM is not as profitable as it used to be, and the fire-to-home project has its hands tied because of the huge loan it took out. All the systems will be upgraded bit by bit and paid off over a long-term period.
Asked when TELEM identified the problem with its network, Dupersoy said that happened two weeks ago and since then they have been working on getting the 3g layer fully upgraded.

TelEm Group addressing service quality concerns, appealing to customers for patience and understanding.

PHILIPSBURG:--- – TelEm Group is presently addressing network performance issues that has seen it telecommunication services operating below acceptable levels of satisfaction.

The company says it understands the importance of providing a reliable and excellent service to its valued customers, and readily admits that it has been unable to do so for the past several weeks due to a host of issues.

“We acknowledge recent service quality concerns and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience we are causing to our residential and business clients,” announced TelEm Group CEO, Mr. Kendall Dupersoy in a prepared statement to customers Wednesday.

He says that in an effort to provide transparency and effectively address these ongoing issues, TelEm Group will be hosting a press conference on Friday to explain in detail the steps being taken to enhance the company’s services and stabilize network equipment that is not functioning optimally.
“We remain committed to rebuilding trust with our customers through transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement, knowing that we have always given high value to the loyalty of our customers, and we continue to appreciate their patience and understanding as we work diligently to enhance the quality of our services,” said Mr. Dupersoy.