Cocos (Keeling) Islands - Bio-Security
Cocos Biosecurity
Biosecurity measures are not just restricted to the Australian mainland. You will need to meet Australia’s biosecurity requirements (under the Biosecurity Act) if you plan to visit the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which are an Australian external territory.
Pre-Arrival Procedures
All non-commercial vessels arriving in Australian territory must submit a pre-arrival report (PAR) using the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s web-based portal. The PAR must be submitted 90 days to 12 hours before arriving in Australian territory, however, Biosecurity leader for the Australian Indian Ocean, Stephen Gillow, requests that yachts start doing the biosecurity pre-arrival form well in advance of arrival.
Waste Disposal
There are NO waste disposal facilities available to manage the biosecurity risk associated with organic and non-organic waste generated by for disposing of waste or garbage in Cocos (Keeling) Islands. All waste must be securely contained on board the yacht for the duration of your visit.
There are substantial fines for leaving any rubbish or waster on any of the islands.
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COVID-19:
- The travel application process to enter IOT ceased on 1 August, 2022 and all travel restrictions were lifted.
Resources:
- https://indianoceanterritories.com.au/
- https://indianoceanterritories.com.au/covid-19-iot-travel-information/
History:
- In recognition of the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) of Christmas Island (CI) and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI) being remote communities, and their vulnerability to coronavirus, a state of emergency was declared in both territories on 18 March, 2020.
- In July 2021, the Islands opened to travelers arriving by air.
- Maritime borders remained closed to visiting yachts.
- 10 June 2022 maritime borders reopened to yachts.
- 04 July 2022 the yacht application form became available online.
- 1 August 2022 pre-application ceased.
- 13 August 2022 state of emergency was lifted.
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Related to following destinations: Cocos Keeling
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Now Covid travel restrictions are lifting we are starting to plan our exit from Australia and were very much hoping to stop via Cocos Keeling. This makes for a predictable weather window to travel the first big hop to cross the Indian Ocean. Noon site suggests that permission is granted on a ‘case-by-case basis’ – but I just posted an application and it was declined. Application forms are setup to expect you to fly in and out from WA, but I completed them anyway and added comments to clarify our situation.
Has anyone managed to get an approval?
Any thoughts? Tips?
Hi MaryAnne, thanks for the question. I’ve made contact with the Authorities in Cocos and will let you know what they come back with.
Following as we are in similar situation.
Posted on behalf of Paul Stephens aboard s/v Tin Tin:
Getting to West island to clear in/out was less easy especially as there was no consensus on the ferry timetable. I have since laminated one and attached to the notice board. There is a ferry from Direction to Home island on Saturday a.m. at 10:00 but the connections don’t really work to get back again.
So it’s best to dinghy the 1.5nm to Home island giving the chance if the last ferry back from West island at 16:00. Ferry is AU $3.50 single or $5.00 return. The bus meets the ferry for $0.50… everything shuts at 15:00 on Saturday and there was no cafe or bar open. The Community Centre was helpful with Wi-Fi, and the shop reasonably stocked.
Using broadband radar over-layed on the Navionics Gold electronic charts, we found that the chart was precisely accurate. There is an error in the positioning of the entrance waypoint on the plan of Direction Island in the Indian Ocean Crossing Guide.
The plan shows the waypoint to be at the seaward end of the leading lines to West Island but, when plotted, it is 0.28M east of the leading lines. The waypoint is still a perfectly safe place to head for, although the boat will be closer to the land than the plan suggests.
In September 2015 there is now buoyage (unlit) to help you into the anchorage: From the IO Crossing Guide waypoint, head S and then SE towards the first tall post with a red can top. Leave that post to port and then turn towards the anchorage. If you have good light, you’ll see a band of reef ahead of you.
Identify the smaller post with a green triangle on top as this marks the area of deeper water over the reef. Keep the post close on your starboard side. We found the depths to be either equal to or more than those marked on the Navionics Gold chart. There are lots of small reefs in the anchorage but they are all deep until close inshore.
Anchor west of the jetty to keep out of the ferry/recreation zone.