Yachting sector to provide safe haven and get a boost during the Hurricane Season

The Government of Grenada has approved a plan to facilitate the entry of yachts into the tri island state to protect them during the hurricane season, which, in turn, will also give our yachting sector a much needed economic boost, as it does annually.

The yachts will have to meet a number of requirements and follow strict health and security protocols, including a quarantine period of 14 days offshore before being allowed entry into the approved boatyards and marinas. 

The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Grenada Tourism Authority coordinated a series of meetings and consultations with various stakeholders, to arrive at the safest and most effective-procedure for all concerned. Participants included Grenada Ports Authority (GPA), Customs, the Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada (MAYAG), the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF), Immigration Department and Camper and Nicholson Port Louis Marina, and Tyrell Bay Marina.

MAYAG will communicate a marine notice on the protocols, from the Grenada Ports

Authority, to the yachts requesting to berth or relocate to safe anchorages in

Grenada. Yachts will have to pre-register with MAYAG for approval to come into Grenada, by using the online platform, Grenada LIMA. Several yachts have already made requests.

Daily yacht arrivals will be communicated on VHF radio to the Port Louis Marina and the RGPF. On arrival in Grenada’s waters, yachts and crew will be processed, screened by the Ministry of Health and placed in quarantine offshore. No crew member will be allowed to come ashore. Teams interacting with the yachts, as well as the yacht operators, must wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment, including masks.

Provisioning of the yachts will be managed by MAYAG, while all major testing, which will be paid for by the crew, will be conducted by the Ministry of Health on board the yacht, at the end of the quarantine period. Formal clearance will be given by 

Customs and the ImmigrationDepartment, only after the Ministry of Health confirms a COVID-19 negative test and issues a formal laboratory result.

The Royal Grenada Police Force is responsible for the safe enforcement of this Integrated Yacht Sequencing Arrivals Protocol. 

Several yachts have already requested the service and they are expected in our waters over a period of five months.