In the case of a global emergency, does your vessel have enough fuel for an additional 2,700 nm leg at sea? Does your war-risk and H&M insurance stay intact if you reroute? And is your crew set up, contractually and practically, for an extended ocean passage?
With recent advisories describing a volatile global environment, are you in the right, or wrong place, facing navigational risks?
Traditional transit corridors are facing heightened risks, and the Cape of Good Hope route has shifted from the “long way around” to the most appealing option to mitigate danger.
A successful Cape reroute is a hop-and-hold plan: fuel certainty, technical checks, and conservative decision points. Salalah is a common staging step before committing to the open Indian Ocean; Victoria and Port Louis are typical mid-ocean support nodes for checks and bunkering. Treat every stop with consideration: book early, confirm procedures, and keep a plan B port for each leg.
Crew, war risk, and insurance
Crew welfare and duty of care are operational, not theoretical. Depending on individual contracts, crews may have specific rights and protections in designated high-risk/warlike areas, including the right not to proceed and also having repatriation terms in place. Verify applicability with your management company or insurance provider before departure.
Minimum Go/No-Go checklist
- Fuel plan with conservative margin for the longest leg
- Written bunkering confirmations for each intended stop, plus one fallback option
- Critical spares for navigation
- Offshore medical readiness and tele-med capability for extended legs
- Comms tested for coverage, airtime, and backup pathways
- Insurance endorsements confirmed in writing for routing and war-risk posture
- Western Med arrival plan with a confirmed berth strategy to avoid “limbo” on re-entry
Operational Distances in (nautical miles)
Dubai → Salalah: 504 nm
Dubai → Victoria, Seychelles: 1,795 nm
Dubai → Port Louis, Mauritius: 2,731 nm
Dubai → Durban: 3,593 nm
Dubai → Palma de Mallorca: 10,500 nm (Via Cape Town)
The professional choice is often the longer one. The Southern route adds miles and hours, but it removes the most unpredictable variables!
Estela Shipping Palma can support your return to the Western Mediterranean with berths, logistics, and operational coordination.
Tel: +34 971 72 25 32 | Mobile/WhatsApp: +34 638 816 803