From 1st August 2018, there will be an increase in the mooring fees for yachts which visit the British Ocean Territory of the Chagos Islands.

Published 6 years ago, updated 5 years ago

The main change is the increase in the weekly mooring fee from £50/week to £75 which is planned to come into effect on 1st August 2018. There is also an increase in the penalties for breaking the rules.

There are new requirements to report arrival in and departure from, the maritime zone (MZ) of the Territory, as well as arrival and departure from the anchorages. This has to be done by email, text or satellite phone message in a prescribed format.

The time allowed for the fishing logs to be returned to the Senior Fisheries Protection Officer has now increased to 28 days. Also, there is greater emphasis on protecting the ecological integrity of the islands and advice on the prevention of introducing alien species.

More fires are being permitted in designated areas. Currently, there is only one designated area on Ile Boddam but a further two are planned for Ile de Coin & Diamante later in 2018.

The new website https://biot.gov.io/visiting has all the details of these changes.

This link on the BIOT website gives detailed maps of the permitted anchoring sites.