Vanimo - Miscellaneous
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Related to following destinations: Main Island, Papua New Guinea, Vanimo
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Mary Lafferty says:
Jun 10, 2018 11:48 AM
May 2018: Checking out at Vanimo Papua New Guinea – a warning!
For cruising yachts intending to exit PNG at Vanimo, we would like to share with you our recent checkout experience there. We entered PNG at Rabaul in May 2018 and issued a 30 day Visa on Arrival by the Immigration Officer at Kokopo International Airport.
Customs informed us of the need for point to point check in at each port visited and we were issued with the appropriate documentation. On our arrival in Vanimo, we completed the customs check in as required.
In light of the information sourced on Noonsite about security issues, we introduced ourselves to the police who were very helpful and keen to make our stay a safe one.
After 6 days of unpleasant, uneventful stay we contacted Mr. Stanly Gardiwilo, Immigration officer, to arrange a time to complete the formalities and what followed was a sad end to our visit.
We were subjected to verbal abuse of the worst kind, an extraordinary irrational tirade that included threats of extortion and seizure of our passports. Mr. Gardiwilo refused to discuss the matter with Immigration in Rabaul or Customs in Vanimo.
He refused to stamp our passports out because we had not come to see him on our arrival in Vanimo. (Immigration at Rabaul confirmed we were NOT required to visit immigration until exiting PNG)
We were told to ‘come back next week’ (after our visas had expired) and would then be fined in a court of law and could expect to be jailed! We would have been in a very precarious situation had it not been for the excellent work provided by the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby in liaising with relevant authorities on our behalf.
We were also confined to our yacht while Mr. Gardiwilo gave consideration to our situation overnight. Our passports were duly stamped the following morning and we left Vanimo.
While not required, it would be prudent to visit Immigration if planning to stay in Vanimo to avoid the very unexpected situation we found ourselves in. A formal complaint has been made to the relevant authorities in the hope that it will benefit cruising yacht community.
Andrew Irwin Meredith Louey Mary Lafferty
Yacht Calamia
General Information on Vanimo:
Vanimo is a true border town. There is not much there except the airport, a smallish cargo dock, a shop for medium quality provisioning (supermarket and hardware store) and a street market that specializes on cigarettes, betel nut and some day to day products. Fresh produce was very hard to find, although the market featured many merchants.
The stores are very close to and visible from the waterfront. You will also find a bank and guarded ATM there.
You can leave your dinghy directly at the waterfront (we used stern anchor and line to tie to some rocks on the shore). Make sure you chat with some of the betel merchants close by and ask them to keep an eye on the dinghy. Worked perfectly for us.
People are very helpful and friendly during daytime. The town itself turns a bit gloomy after dark, a bit too much alcohol for a bit to many young men without jobs. We liked to be on board the boat before it turned too dark. The anchorage was safe, the boat never approached by criminals or unpleasant individuals.
There is now good internet coverage. There is also a copy and print shop right across the Indonesian consulate (it’s about a five-minute walk from the waterfront, everybody knows the way), you can copy and print all documents there (which you should for the entry to Jayapura in case you go to Indonesia).
The console accepts passport sized photos printed in the copy shop on the other side of the road. So when in need, you can improvise with self-made photos. The visa is announced to take 24 hours to process, but if you apply with all documents and fees early in the morning, you may get your passports in the afternoon.
Customs can be found close to the airport in a little trading complex across the street from the airfield. Take a taxi to get there, as it is quite far (about 2 km) and usually very hot.
To summarize: A good place to get an Indonesian visa. Quick and professional clearing out process and OK provisioning if necessary (a lot better provisioning in Jayapura). A bit dirty, a bit gloomy after dark.
Happy sailing,
Fritze, S.Y. Alytes