Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems Project

Thank you for your interest in joining the 2008 cruise.

Please click here for the cruise calendar.

Please click here for Cruise Three, Leg Two and Three participants list AND click here for Leg Four participants list.

UNOPS allocated daily spending allowance (DSA) is $176 per night. This includes accommodation, meals, taxi service, telephone calls and any other items. This is only when you are on land. The ship-board allowance for scientists is $10 per day.

Important Visa Information

The scientists that arrive in a country with Dr. Fridtjof Nansen do not need a personal visa for that particular country, as they are treated as ships crew, being on the ship's crew list.

The scientists disembarking from the ship in a country will receive a transit visa through the ships agent when docking in that particular country.

Visas are therefore only required when flying into a particular country to get onto the Nansen.

As crew, or crew in transit, you will be allowed to go ashore and may even stay ashore waiting for the departure flight after the vessel has departed. However, your transit visa will not allow you to travel around in that country, you will have to follow the booked route as registered by the ships agent. PLEASE NOTE:- If you are planning your own holiday after the ship departs, you will need a visa for that country, as the ship can only provide transit visas.

For example:-

If you participate in the entire Cruise One – you will not need any visas for Madagascar or Mauritius.

If you participate in Cruise Two – you will need a visa for Mauritius, as this particular leg starts and ends in Mauritius.

Those participating in Cruise Three, Leg One or Two will need a visa to fly into Mauritius but not for the Seychelles and/or Comores, as they will receive a transit visa from the ships agent.

Cruise Four - please contact Visa agents below should you have any queries.

Booking of Flights

As you are already aware, the coordination of flight bookings has been in process for some time now. All bookings have been made in accordance with the various legs that you are assigned to.

Helen Wootton will send your flight e-ticket through to you with your relevant reference number. Please note that if you are not happy with the dates / times of your flight bookings, you will have to deal with the travel agent directly. Contact details will be found on your electronic ticket. Should there be any extra costs involved, these will be your responsibility.

Please note that all your flights will be paid for upfront by the ASCLME project.

Accommodation

Accommodation will need to be booked by each individual. Please remember that you will be responsible for the payment of your accommodation, meals and any other items that you may incur in transit. Note the daily allowance as stated above.

Please note that you will be able to spend the night before the Nansen is due to embark from port on board the ship. The Nansen will provide you with meals.

Should there be unforseen circumstances and the arrival of the ship should be delayed, you would have to book your own accomodation upon arrival. Please remember the DSA rate as mentioned above.

If for some reason you decide to stay behind and visit a particular place, all costs will be for the individuals account.

Taxi / Shuttle Services

You will be able to organise a taxi or shuttle service from the airport. Remember, you will be responsible for this bill and need to claim upon return from your trip.

Payment Proceedures

Once you return from your trip, you will fill in an F10 form, which will enable you to claim back all expenses incurred. Together with your F10 please remember to attach all your receipts as well as your air ticket stubs. Note that we will need the original copies. Remember to also submit a completed vendor form (see below).

This F10 form or any financial queries must be sent to Este endereço de e-mail está protegido de spam bots, pelo que necessita do Javascript activado para o visualizar . (You can leave the completed paperwork with Tommy Bornman or James Stapley aboard the Nansen, and they will return these to Cristina).

Vendor Form

Please submit a UNOPS Vendor form to the PCU. section 2 and 4 need to be filled in with your details. This is for administrative reasons only and will enable us to refund any monies that may be due to you at the end of the trip. Please remember to keep all receipts of any monies that you may spend getting the visa and forward to ASCLME for a refund. Note that you must also retain and give us your air ticket stubs. The Vendor form should be sent to Este endereço de e-mail está protegido de spam bots, pelo que necessita do Javascript activado para o visualizar .

Those scientists and technicians joining the cruise will need to urgently fill in the following paperwork:

Visas

You may contact any of the companies below regarding visa enquiries. NOTE that you will NOT be able to get visas on arrival due to the ship-based travel, which complicates immigration formalities. For those in South Africa, this is most easily done through a visa agent, MDS Visapak. Their contact details are as follows:

MDS Visapak

• JOHANNESBURG
  Telephone No : (011) 241-4900
  Fax No : (011) 241-4922/3
  Street Address : 58C Weber Street Selby
  Postal Address : P.O. Box 39893 Booysens 2016
  E-mail Address : Este endereço de e-mail está protegido de spam bots, pelo que necessita do Javascript activado para o visualizar
  Docex : DX 533 Johannesburg
• DURBAN
  Telephone No : (031) 313-3400
  Fax No : (031) 313-3410
  Street Address : 28 Adrain Road (Off Stamford Hill Road), Windermere, Durban
  Postal Address : P.O. Box 5494, Durban 4000
  Docex : DX 292 Durban
• CAPE TOWN
  Telephone No : (021) 511-4858
  Fax No : (021) 511-4474
  Street Address : Unit 11, 1 Koeberg Rd, Cnr Koeberg and Conway, Paarden Eiland
  Postal Address : Tenant Box 50 No1 Thibault Square Cape Town 8001
  Docex : DX 276 Cape Town
• PRETORIA
  Telephone No : (012) 342-8319
  Fax No : (012) 342-8318
  Street Address : Hilda Street, Hatfield Mall, 4th Floor, Hatfield, Pretoria
  Docex : DX 220 Pretoria

For those of you not in South Africa, please contact the local Embassy/Consulate for the countries whose territorial waters you will be visiting on the legs in which you will be participating and urgently obtain visas from them.

If you do not wish to make use of a visa agent, South African consulates for the countries are as follows:

• Comoros Consulate
  Tel/Fax 012 342 0138 (PTA)
• Madagascar Consulate
  Tel: 021 674-7238/9 (CPT)
  Tel: 012 342-0983/4/5 (PTA)
• Mauritius Consulate
  Tel: 012-342 1283/4 (PTA)
• Mozambique Consulate
  Tel: 011 484 6427(JNB)
  Tel: 021 426 2944/5 (CPT)
• Seychelles Consulate
  Tel: 011- 467 8101 (JNB)

Visa Forms:

Comoros
Madagascar
Mauritius
Mozambique
Seychelles - not required for RSA and UK passport holders.

(Remember you will need business visas)

Please send a scan/faxed copy of your visa(s) to the PCU once you have received them.

Immunisation

You will require a valid Yellow Fever immunisation for your travel. Please send us a scan or fax of your Yellow Fever documentation.

Any other immunisations and malaria prophylaxis are at your discretion, but general travel immunisations (Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus, Meningitis) are recommended for most of the countries.

Medical

You will require a medical clearance for work at sea. Please obtain these from your medical doctor and submit a copy to us as soon as possible, as we need to submit these to the vessel soon. Those without medical clearance may not go to sea. South African residents, a SAMSA medical would be more than adequate, and is also required should you need to go to sea on a South African research vessel at some stage; they are valid for one year. Note that you do not require a SAMSA medical for the Nansen.

Essentially, all that FAO/Nansen require is a signed note from your doctor on the doctor's own letterhead that states that you are fit to work and travel aboard a ship. If you would like an example of such a medical note, please click here.

Please send a copy (scan/fax) to the PCU once you have this note/medical.

Details Spreadsheet

We need a number of details from you; please fill in the Excel spreadsheet with your details and return it to Este endereço de e-mail está protegido de spam bots, pelo que necessita do Javascript activado para o visualizar .

Please supply Helen with the following information:-

your passport number

your special dietary requirements

your sea going medical clearance

your yellow fever date of expiry

your passport place of issue

your passport date of issue

your passport expiry date

your nationality

your visa number

You may also like to read this general travel information.

Please note that if you would like to pass this information on, there is an easy-to-remember quicklink, http://www.asclme.org/participant2008/