Indian Ocean outlook

Indian Ocean © Noonsite

Christmas Island & Cocos Keeling: Biosecurity leader for the Australian Indian Ocean, Stephen Gillow, has requested that yachts planning to visit Christmas Island or Cocos Keeling start doing the biosecurity pre-arrival form well in advance of arrival. This is in addition to the Australian Border Force notice of arrival and pre-arrival report. See Cocos Keeling Clearance for more details.

Madagascar: The Indian Ocean is busy this month with boats making their way across towards South Africa or the Red Sea. A Cholera outbreak in a number of Indian Ocean countries, however, is hampering plans for many as Madagascar closed to boats coming from Tanzania, Kenya, Comoros and Mayotte. As we go to press, there are rumours that restrictions have been lifted, however this has not been confirmed. Contacts in Nosy Be have confirmed that yachts coming from South Africa are being permitted entry as long as a permit to enter has been obtained in advance (currently taking 2 months). It should also be noted that E-visas are not acceptable for visiting yacht crew and a short-term visitor visa has to be purchased on arrival. See Madagascar Immigration for more details.

South Africa: OSASA have reached out to SA ports to find out if any cholera restrictions are going to be put in place for visiting yachts, however currently all vessels are being allowed into SA. It is always advisable to ensure crew vaccinations are up to date, especially for Yellow Fever and Cholera. OSASA are a team of volunteer sailors who work incredibly hard to improve conditions for yachts visiting SA. They are still searching for a volunteer web editor - a great opportunity to work with a dynamic, pro-active and determined team of like-minded people. Contact to find out more.

Exciting news for cruisers currently arriving at, or planning to visit, South Africa, with the release of a much-awaited cruising guide (see our book of the month at the end of the newsletter), the announcement of the opening of two new Ports of Entry/Departure and the launch of a new online travellers declaration, to ease the Customs entry process. Read all the news here.

A Malta-flagged cargo vessel lost up to 99 containers due to severe weather conditions while navigating near Richards Bay, South Africa, on Thursday, August 16. The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has since issued a navigational safety alert to other vessels and asked the public to report any containers that may still be floating in the water.

Weather: The second named storm of the North Indian Ocean Cyclone season, Cyclonic Storm Asna, formed in the Arabian Sea on August 24 as a severe depression and was upgraded and named on August 30 as it pelted areas of NW India and Pakistan with torrential rainfall. The North Indian Ocean cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with the peak from May to November.

This article has been provided by the courtesy of noonsite.com.