OCC CRUISING INFORMATION SERVICE

Editor: George Curtis, Blacksmiths Cottage, Aston Tirrold, Oxfordshire, OX11 9DQ, England

Tel/Fax:+44 (0) 1235 850794; e-mail cis@oceancruisingclub.org

Extracted from Article by Graham and Avril Johnson

December 2007 Newsletter

‘Country Page’ Ecuador

1. Formal requirements for yachts entering from abroad:

New regulations: Recently there have been some unhelpful changes in Ecuador. All foreign yachts are now required to employ an agent to clear in and out of every Ecuadorian port. The going rate for yachts is about US$150-200 in addition to the administration charges levied by the authorities. If you go to a port where there is no agent who deals with yachts then you may have to pay $1000, the price for a ship. Note too the agent does not deal with your immigration and you still have to go to the Port Captain to apply for an exit zarpe. A list of the last 10 ports is needed and passage plans with two-hourly waypoints must be submitted with a requirement to report any deviation whilst on passage (Ecuador claims 200 mile territorial waters).

As we write, the six month Customs rule for the yacht is still only local to Salinas. There does not appear to be any law to support this restriction, so hopefully it will not spread to the rest of the country. However, with the current state of uncertainty one cannot be sure.

Although it is a very nice place to be, we cannot recommend Ecuador as a cruising destination at present.

 
 Update, March 2008, extracted from Graham and Avril Johnson's March 2008 newsletter report:

It has been announced that it is no longer a requirement for yachts to use an agent and once again cruisers can check in and out directly with the Port Captain and any necessary paperwork can be completed on line prior to arrival. Cruisers can also obtain fuel at the local prices and fill jerry cans at garages. The length of time a yacht can be kept in the country before attracting customs duty has not been resolved, but the latest proposal is some kind of temporary import permit for a number of years for anyone staying over three months.

2. Visa requirements:

3. Cruising permits and restrictions:

At Puerto Lucia marina, Salinas, Ecuador. We were boarded by a customs official and a minion from the Port Captain’s office and were somewhat dismayed to be told that the boat could only remain in Ecuador for six months. This was apparently a new ruling, but as it later transpired only a local one to the Salinas region. The place is noteworthy for its boat hoist, onshore boat storage facility and good repair yard under the management of a North American. However, it is very over-priced (we have just heard an additional $200/month ‘liveaboard’ charge has been introduced), soulless and the water is a stinking mess of oil and gas bubbling up from the seabed below.

4. Formal procedures when departing from one port and entering another:

5. Recommended cruising guides:

6. Web links providing local cruising information:

7. Some of the Ports of entry:

8. Recommended sources of weather and climate information and reliability:

9. Where to obtain tidal information:

10. How to contact the search and rescue organisation:

11: Any comments on radio and communications:

12. Any comments on emergency and health services:

13. Any comments on importing spares:

14: General advice, places to go, warnings:

It has also been decreed that foreign yachts cannot buy fuel at the subsidised prices available to everyone else. The problem is that nowhere sells fuel at the full price, so it effectively means that you cannot officially buy fuel. Foreigners can fill up their cars at garage prices, so it’s only yachts that are being victimised. We are told that the fuel dock in Salinas is now closed. We are not allowed to buy fuel in containers from garages, so people are buying on the black market and the yacht club here is supplying diesel and gasoline at inflated prices. We are exploring the possibility of obtaining a permit to purchase in containers. Currently our application is being ‘processed’ by the bureaucrats, which we are told will take 2-3 weeks.

15: Any comments on safety and security:

The OCC Cruising Information Service is provided by the OCC. The information is supplied to the OCC by members and is for OCC members only. The date given in the above is the date that the members supplying the information visited this place and the information may have changed at any time. The OCC has taken no steps to verify the information, which should be confirmed independently. The OCC accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information and cannot be held liable for any damage howsoever caused whether directly or indirectly or any consequential losses.