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The years go by, and no two are alike. It is with this observation that Ernest Brin, director of the port of Saint Barthélemy, begins his activity report for the year 2025. While the year "was good overall," he notes that there was a surge in activity at the end of the year, particularly in the recreational boating sector. In fact, a record number of visitors was recorded during the festive season. A total of 342 visiting boats were counted in the port waters of Saint Barth on December 31, twelve of which were over 100 meters long. However, the point here is not to dwell on this annual peak in visitor numbers, even if it does demonstrate the island's festive appeal.
Stable recreational boating
Recreational boating activity has not changed significantly compared to 2024. In fact, the number of stopovers recorded last year was 5,082, compared to 5,150 in 2024. This represents a negligible decrease of 0.01%. On the other hand, the number of people recorded on board ships was slightly higher: 41,217 in 2025 compared to 40,002 in 2024, an increase of 3.03%. Unsurprisingly, the month with the highest number of visitors was December, followed by March, February, and January.
Inter-island traffic down slightly
3,514 ferry calls were recorded in 2025. The previous year, there were 3,610. Traffic therefore showed a slight decrease of around 2.66%. Similarly, the considerable number of passengers recorded in 2025 amounted to 253,142 (129,095 disembarkations and 124,047 embarkations). In 2024, the figure was 256,653. Again, the decline is relatively minor, at 1.37%. Furthermore, returning to port calls, although they are down slightly compared to 2024, they are still higher than those recorded in 2023 (3,377) and in all years since 2015.
March and December were the months with the highest ferry passenger traffic, with 28,247 and 26,219 passengers respectively. The lowest was September, with only 9,861 passengers.
The two main ferry companies share the market, but it was Voyager that had the most customers in 2025 with 120,392 passengers. The Big B and Shantiwa carried 116,582 people between Saint Barth and Saint Martin. The Edge carried only 4,656 passengers.
A great year for cruise activity
After the lean years of the health crisis, cruise activity is gradually regaining its place in the island's tourism landscape. In 2023, 80,532 passengers passed through the port of Gustavia. There were 84,736 in 2024 and 98,492 in 2025. This represents a 16.23% increase year-on-year. Similarly, the number of port calls rose by 15.84% between 2024 and 2025: 212 were recorded in 2025 compared to 183 the previous year. This is the highest number of visitors in more than ten years.
The combined passenger traffic from ferries and cruise ships passing through the ferry terminal represents a total of 351,634 people.
Fewer stopovers but more containers at the commercial port
It was a mixed year for the commercial port. While there was a slight decrease in the number of cargo ship calls (943 in 2025 compared to 1,020 in 2024, but 911 in 2023), Director Ernest Brin explains this by the extension work that began in June 2025. "This changed the game in terms of scheduling stopovers, especially for barges," he says. Nevertheless, he is pleased that "the island's only gateway for supplies, despite its lack of space, reflects the very good health of the economy." This is despite a delay in the global shipment of certain containerized goods. This delay has not affected the quantity. In fact, 8,688 containers were unloaded in 2025, more than in 2024, 2023, and 2022. "Between 2015 and 2025, the number of twenty-foot equivalent containers increased by nearly 27% in imports," Ernest Brin points out.
Alongside these results, the port director continues, as he does every year, to lament the lack of parking spaces and shelters for companies, which consequently encounter difficulties in managing unloading. "It is becoming urgent to build additional parking spaces and shelters," insists Ernest Brin.
