In October, the UK Government announced it had agreed to return the British Indian Ocean Territory of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after a long period of negotiations, but the incoming Mauritius Prime Minister had indicated he has reservations about the deal, according to a report from the BBC. This archipelago is a popular stopover for yachts crossing the Indian Ocean.

Published 4 weeks ago

The Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory – BIOT) consists of 58 islands covering approximately 640,000 sq kms of ocean located in the Indian Ocean halfway between East Africa and Indonesia.  It’s a much sought-after stop over for cruising yachts crossing the Indian Ocean, not only for it’s incredible beauty, flora and fauna, but also as a convenient break in an arduous journey. Planning does have to be meticulous, however, in order to stop over here, with applications for a mooring permit necessary months in advance and not always granted.

Britain’s Last African Colony

In October 2024, the UK government announced it would give up sovereignty over the remote, but strategically important archipelago – though it would lease Diego Garcia, home to a joint UK-US military base, for at least 99 years.

According to media reports, the agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ended years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony.

The agreement will allow a right of return for Chagossians, who the UK expelled from their homes in the 1960s and 1970s.  The deal, announced jointly by the UK and Mauritius on Thursday October 3rd, granted the latter full sovereignty over the remote archipelago.

This includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, used by the US government as a military base for its navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft.  The US-UK base will remain on Diego Garcia – a key factor enabling the deal to go forward at a time of growing geopolitical rivalries in the region between Western countries, India, and China.

The deal is still subject to finalisation of a treaty.

More Time Needed to Study Details

Incoming Mauritius Prime Minister Ramgoolam expressed his doubts about the agreement after meeting Jonathan Powell, the UK’s national security adviser, on Monday November 25.

“I informed them that I wished to have more time to study the details with a panel of legal advisers,” Prime Minister Ramgoolam said.

The new Prime Minister did not outline the exact issues he had with the deal, but a cabinet minister said there were problems with the lease arrangement.

He also voiced surprise that the details were finalised just over a month before Mauritius’s general election.

Mr Powell said that negotiations would continue and both sides, agreed to reconvene in Mauritius in two weeks to report their progress.

Changes for Yachts Wanting to Visit BIOT (Chagos)

Currently there is no change to the mooring permit regulations.

The BIOT Chagos Administration office has advised that any vessels wishing to call at the Chagos Archipelago should still apply through the BIOT Mooring webpage  – How to apply for a mooring permit | British Indian Ocean Territory (gov.io), which outlines all the information, forms and documentation required to process a mooring permit.  It can take up to six weeks to process a permit so please bear this in mind when stating your arrival date.

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Related News:

• New Mauritius PM has Reservations about UK’s Chagos Deal (BBC)
• UK Hands Sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius (BBC)
• Britian to Return Chagos Islands to Mauritius Ending Years of Dispute (The Guardian)
• UK Agrees to Give Sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius (AlJazeera)

Related Links:

• British Indian Ocean Territory

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