Driving Force
The West Indian Company, Ltd. has provided more than a century of service to the U.S. Virgin Islands community as the owner and manager of the Territory’s premier cruise dock.
Chartered in 1912 to assist in the economic development of the islands, WICO has been the driving force in the evolution of USVI tourism and remains a leading economic contributor through berthing activities and affiliated services at the WICO dock.
In addition to the dock and leased warehouses, WICO-developed holdings include parcels in Yacht Haven Grande and historic Estate Catherineberg.
WICO is committed to strengthening the U.S. Virgin Islands economy and advancing tourism by increasing cruise ship calls and berths.
Executive Staff and Board of Directors
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Anthony Ottley, Interim President and CEO
Charlene Turnbull, CFO
Mark Sabino, Director of Marine and Cruise Services
Joseph Francis, Chief of Security
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jason P. Charles, Chairman
Olric “Rick” Carrington, Vice Chairman
Roosevelt St. C. David, Secretary
Joseph B. Boschulte, Member
Enrique Rodriguez, Member
Prakash “Pash” Daswani, Member
Hugo V. Hodge, Jr., Chairman, Finance Committee
Vincent Richards, Chairman, Development Committee
107 Years of Development, Resilience and Leadership
One of the most recognized destination images in the western hemisphere depicts a line of majestic cruise ships at the foot of verdant mountains in a sunny, picturesque harbor.
This is the iconic photo of the West Indian Company Limited Dock, the oldest and most prestigious cruise pier on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.
The vibrant story of the West Indian Company Limited, referred to as WICO by the local population, began even before the Virgin Islands became a territory of the United States of America and before cruise ships led the way for modern tourism.
This is the WICO story.
Continuing a Proud Legacy
Hans Niels Andersen
In 1912, Danish global shipping leader, Hans Niels Andersen, was attracted by the deep natural harbor on St. Thomas as a promising business opportunity for his growing company.
Establishment
Anderson purchased
waterfront property and established the West Indian Company as a subsidiary of his East Asiatic Company.
The First
The West Indian Company built the territory’s first major shipping dock, and introduced electrical service to the town of Charlotte Amalie.
World Traffic
WICO quickly became a lucrative operation attracting trans-shipment traffic from around the world.
When rumors of a Danish-owned Virgin Islands sale to the United States of America became apparent, Andersen leveraged his personal relationship with Denmark’s royal family to influence the Danish government’s decision to include WICO and its holdings as one of the concessions in the transfer treaty.
On March 31st, 1917 the U.S. finalized the purchase of the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million as a move that concluded almost fifty years of on-again-off-again negotiations between the two countries.
Acquiring the Danish West Indies was a calculated military move by the U.S. during World War I by giving America a strategic foothold in the Caribbean and preventing Germany from assuming control of the islands it had long coveted.
The United States also recognized the benefits of the Virgin Islands’ proximity to the Panama Canal and the commercial opportunities provided by the impressively deep St. Thomas
Harbor.
Positioning St. Thomas as a Leader in a Changing World
A ninety-nine year concession was granted to WICO to own, reclaim, dredge and dam areas of the St. Thomas Harbor. The company also had the right to charge wharfage and warehouse fees, construct floating docks, erect fuel storage tanks, provide pilot services, erect lighthouses, establish electric and power plants and other projects.
The West Indian Company’s coal bunkering operations as fuel for steamships proved to be highly profitable, peaking in 1929 when 135,000 tons of coal was sold to approximately 500 vessels.
In 1914 WICO erected two fuel tanks on the dock predicting correctly that oil would replace coal. In 1920 the economy of oil burning vessels for long range shipping became a reality and WICO was awarded the main supplier for Esso Standard bunker oil. In 1952 the company eventually discontinued coal bunkering.
Among its many notable accomplishments were opening the first tourist shop in St. Thomas in 1936 called “Maison Danois” from the French meaning “Danish House” and the construction of seven buildings on seven beaches on K.C. Bay on St. John which was named Caneel Bay. This development made way for ferry service between St. Thomas and St. John which was operated by the West Indian Company.
Forging a Path to Prosperity
The first recorded instance of a cruise ship visiting St. Thomas was the RMS Aquitania, which sailed from New York with 674 passengers on her Christmas cruise through the West Indies in 1938.
The cruise industry continued to grow and by the early 1960s, WICO abandoned commercial shipping and committed its docking facilities and warehouses, exclusively to cruise tourism which became the islands’ main stay by 1962.
The West Indian company was the agent for most of the cruise lines visiting the Virgin Islands which had become the leading cruise ship destination in the Caribbean.
Because of the increase of ships and international trans-shipments, WICO converted warehouses into gift shops creating a vibrant retail economy for the growing visitor market.
Inviting the World to Discover the Virgin Islands
The VI Government purchased the West Indian Company Ltd. in 1993, on the 75th anniversary of Transfer Day.
Like the U.S. purchase, it was a preemptive move that protected the Territory’s largest revenue contributor from sale to another foreign country or from private ownership.
Just as the $25 million purchase of the Danish West Indies was America’s most costly territorial acquisition, the Government of the U.S Virgin Islands’ $54 million purchase of WICO is believed to be its most expensive real estate investment.
WICO has continued to partner in the Territory’s economic development as a publicly owned while privately managed company.
For the past fifty years, WICO has served as the Territory’s leader in attracting and managing cruise ship arrivals establishing The West Indian Company Dock as St. Thomas’ primary port benefiting the Virgin Islands economy.
More than $20 million has been invested in capital projects over the last two decades to maintain and modernize the dock and port.
Today, as efforts are ongoing to normalize after the 2017 hurricanes and the global pandemic, WICO and the Virgin Islands are preparing to thoughtfully welcome more mega ships, engage changing visitor expectations and provide increasingly robust and resilient facilities and infrastructure.
A Visionary Development for a Young Territory
The West Indian Company Limited considers its greatest contribution to the Virgin Islands to be the development of cruise tourism.
WICO will continue to work in partnership with the government to strengthen the economy of the U.S. Virgin Islands and advance tourism by increasing cruise ship calls and berths.
As it has done for more than a century, WICO is dedicated to providing the vision, wisdom and leadership for continued long term economic growth for the people of the US Virgin Islands.
Hours of Operation
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday
Note: cashier closes at 3:00 p.m.
WICO Holiday Hours
WICO Administrative Offices are closed on the following holidays.
Note: WICO Security and Marine Divisions are in full operation for visiting ships on holidays.
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- St. Thomas Carnival Children’s Parade
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth National Independence Day
- U.S. Virgin Islands Emancipation Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day/Local V.I. Puerto Rico Friendship Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving 2nd Day
- Christmas Day
- Christmas 2nd Day
Contact Info
24-Hour Emergency Contact Numbers
- Mark Sabino
Director of Marine and Cruise Services
Cell (340) 473-8701 - Desmond Williams
Asst. Marine Manager
(340) 690-1140 - Duke Este
Marine Foreman
(340) 473-7122
- Joseph Francis
Chief of Security
Cell (340) 473-8926 - Dean Aubain
Deputy Chief of Security
(340) 642-7253 - Lester Slack
Security Operations Manager
(340) 642-0033
In an emergency, contact the V.I. Police Department at 911 or (340) 774-2211