USPS will begin weekly barge deliveries to the Virgin Islands, reducing delays for residents and businesses

The office of Congressional Delegate Stacey Plaskett announced new developments aimed at addressing USPS package delivery delays affecting the U.S. Virgin Islands, a situation that has led to widespread problems for local residents and businesses.

After numerous discussions with USPS regional leadership, Plaskett’s office provided an update on the Postal Service’s internal processes and outlined an agreement to resolve the persistent failures.

According to the release, USPS has found that the average delivery time for Ground Advantage Service, Parcel Select and Priority Mail packages containing hazardous materials or unusual sizes to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico ranges from 14 to 21 days. This estimated time depends on origin and destination zip codes, package volume and weather conditions, but is not guaranteed by USPS.

In addition, a recent change in Amazon’s delivery method has added to the delays, Ms. Plaskett said. She said Amazon has changed its shipping preferences from Ground Advantage to Parcel Select, a designation that requires mail to be transported by ground rather than by air. Amazon previously used air freight to transport packages to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for onward delivery to the Virgin Islands. However, under the new Parcel Select designation, FAA regulations restrict the sending of such packages, forcing the USPS to reroute packages back to Jacksonville, Florida due to the lack of an available mail barge between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Thanks to Plaskett’s support, USPS agreed not to send Parcel Select packages back to Jacksonville. Instead, these packages will be held in a warehouse in Puerto Rico before being transported to the Virgin Islands by barge, with service beginning on Saturday, November 2, 2024, according to the release. The barge will depart Puerto Rico early Saturday morning, making its first stop in St. Thomas before continuing to St. Croix. This weekly barge service is expected to improve delivery times and provide greater consistency in package arrivals.

Additionally, USPS has confirmed that regular Priority Mail and Ground Advantage packages, without robotic tagging issues, will continue to be delivered by plane or barge from Jacksonville to St. Thomas and St. Croix without delays.

Plaskett acknowledged the widespread impact of the delays, noting the impact on residents waiting for supplies of essential supplies. “My team and I understand that this USPS issue affects many people in our community – business owners waiting for their groceries, people needing prescriptions, and many others,” she said. Plaskett expressed his gratitude to USPS employees for their dedication and thanked the community members who reached out to us to report concerns.

Her office encouraged Virgin Islanders experiencing problems with the USPS to continue filing complaints. Virgin Islanders wishing to report additional USPS issues can contact Plaskett’s office directly.