Coronavirus

Hospitality restrictions eased in the Balearics

Hospitality restrictions eased in the Balearics

The Balearic Government has introduced new de-escalation measures, in effect now:● Night-time curfew now starts one hour later, at 23:00h, until 06:00h● Outdoor bar/restaurant terraces may open Mon-Thu from 20:00h until 22:30h● Mixing of households is now...

Carry out rapid, reliable PCR testing on board!

Carry out rapid, reliable PCR testing on board!

The world’s first fully-automated PCR test analyser from Bosch is now available to order from ESTELA.Operating on the ‘Vivalytic’ platform from Bosch Healthcare Solutions, the device returns accurate PCR test results in just 39 minutes. Swabs are inserted...

COVID vaccinations

COVID vaccinations

We receive many calls from captains and crew, asking about COVID vaccinations. There is no vaccination-on-demand available anywhere in the world that we are aware of, except the UAE and Russia.The UN’s ILO and IMO agencies, as well as various maritime unions and...

UK removes COVID testing exemption for seafarers

UK removes COVID testing exemption for seafarers

Since April 6th, seafarers arriving in the UK and staying more than two days have been obliged to undergo rapid ‘lateral flow’ tests during their stay. While remaining exempt from the 10-day quarantine/self-isolation rules that apply to other travellers, crew must...

Easter COVID rules/regs around the Med

Easter COVID rules/regs around the Med

SPAIN No yacht restrictions, subject to health declarations and PCR tests (<72 hrs)Hospitality is open only on terraces, until 5pmGroups may be no more than 6, from no more than two households, including on boardShops are open, with some capacity restrictions and...

Spain introduces 10-day quarantine for arrivals from South Africa

With effect from 8th March 2021, all arrivals from South Africa in Spain will be required to quarantine for 10 days following arrival. Please note that seafarers are NOT exempt from this requirement, though are permitted to self-isolate on board. Quarantine must be...

OFFICIAL travel information sources for crew (and non-crew)

OFFICIAL travel information sources for crew (and non-crew)

Global travel eligibility checker: https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/#(note that all airlines’ policy is guided by IATA)Travel to Spain, general:For general travel to Spain: https://reopen.europa.eu/en/map/ESP/7001Spain health declaration:...

Clearing out of TA without COVID hassles

Clearing out of TA without COVID hassles

Many non-EU flagged yachts in the Mediterranean complete an 18-monthly ‘VAT dash’ to Algeria, to clear out of the EU zone ahead of their TA deadline. This year, the clearance dash has been complicated by restricted movements of both yachts and crew, while UK-flagged...