Yemen - Facts
- It is not advisable to visit mainland Yemen due to the current political and security situation. See the security section for more details.
- Whilst mainland Yemen is not safe to visit, the island of Socotra continues to be a useful place to stop and re-provision on the way to the Red Sea.
- While yachts have sometimes stopped at the Jabal Zugar and Hanish Islands to shelter from the weather, it is now very dangerous to go close to any of the Yemeni islands in the Red Sea according to recent reports (June 2023).
- Yemen is located in Southwest Asia at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula between Oman and Saudi Arabia. It is situated at the entrance to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean (via the Gulf of Aden).
- The total population of Yemen is 28.25 million.
- Yemen operates on Arabia Standard Time. For specifics see General Info.
- The country has a sub tropical climate. See Weather section below for more details.
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Socotra report 2024 from Renaissance III
Sailing from Maldives 1200 nm to Socotra took 7 days and we contacted Yasser at I am Socotra ship agency, WhatsApp +967777655566. check in was simple and hassle free, anchorage was 400m west of the port jetty in 5 meters with a good holding sand bottom position N12 40.780 E54 4.649. Cost of visa 150USD each POB going ashore. We also took a 2 day camping trip to the Dragon Blood Tree forest and the lagoon. Worth every cent. Getting fuel was possible but expensive, food was cheaper as there are small grocery stores and a fresh market 20 mins from the Port. This is not Yemen, the locals were friendly and the island is super safe. Worth a stop and a tour. Yasser arraigned a local guy to watch the boat and run the genset daily for our fridges and batteries.
Socotra Report from Denis Romanov of Socotra Tamam Agency:
Last year, some yachtsmen who stopped at Socotra faced certain difficulties. Some of them were not allowed to go ashore. This was due to the presence on the island of soldiers from the Emirates and the tightening of the security regime.
This year, with the advent of the new governor and the withdrawal of the military from the Emirates from the island, the situation has changed for the better. All papers are issued to yachtsmen and tourist visas are issued for those who want to see the island.
However, some confusion remains with different authorities. The bad news is that clearance in Socotra has become more expensive. Now we have to pay extra money to two authorities – the coast guard and the security service.
Additional payment is about $115. Thus, the total amount of clearance on Socotra (including agency fees) is $345 now. A tourist visa costs $100 per person, which allows you to travel around Socotra without any problems accompanied by a local guide.
The boat Formidable 3, which made a short stop at Socotra in early December for fueling, watering and buying food, was the first to be faced with new requisitions from the security service and the coast guard.
We hope that the new government of Socotra soon sorted out with unauthorized extortion by security forces in the future the cost of registration of yachts will be as before.
It is possible that in this case it was the payment for urgency (yacht wanted to stay on Socotra only one day), and in the future we can avoid these costs, but the sailors, who plan to stay on Socotra, should be ready for such unplanned spending.
In any case, we will try to minimize your expenses on Socotra.
There is a good person named Adil who will help anyone stopping in Aden. His phone number is +96773707330. I last spoke to him in May 2015. He has transport and knows all the places that would interest sailors.
Posted on behalf of SY Tamarisk:
We visited Aden in January 2014. The port is very hostile and we believe unsafe for cruisers due to out of control military people based there. Agent Omar (listed on noonsite) is dead and the daughter who picks up the phone is mostly clueless. See our blog http://www.tamariskrtw.com/ for more details.
I have visited Aden in March,2014. Very friendly authorities, they ask you to anchor off near tourist port. Good holding at 7m, but be carefull – there are some gas pipes on the bottom – look onshore and on tanker buoys at portside to find it. Go ashore on rib for customs and take shorepass for 3 days – all for free. They will ask some bakshish – I presented caps, it was enough.
You can fill diesel at fuel pier, ask locals to help you. We used taxi driver, pay him 25 USD per day and he assists us to fix all problems. You can legally buy any firearms in Aden: AK-47 cost about 300USD, but you need to take permission to carry it to port – it needs 2-3 days to take it. Good and cheap provisioning in the city, friendly officials – nice port of call.