Tristan da Cunha Shipping Schedules

Cape Town - Tristan da Cunha Shipping Schedule

Scheduled ships run from from Cape Town to Tristan da Cunha and return. All but one are vessels provided by the fishing company Ovenstones which each carry only 12 passengers. Presently the only ship is the fishing vessel MFV Edinburgh (which carries out extended fishing trips to the outer islands of Inaccessible, Nightingale and Gough in the fishing season).

The final trip is the annual Gough Island relief voyage, provided from 2012 by the South African Antarctic Research and Supply Vessel Agulhas II which calls at Tristan da Cunha on its outward and return voyage and carries over 40 passengers to Tristan (42 in 2014).

Ships are booked many months in advance and you are advised to read carefully the 'Passenger Policy' below regarding priorities which may mean that berths may be cancelled at short notice.

Check carefully the visits section to plan your Tristan da Cunha voyage with care!

Find out more about the ships on our separate Ships Page.

Latest Provisional Shipping Schedule

All ships normally carry mail, cargo and passengers. All dates are provisional and to be confirmed.

2020

	MFV Edin- burgh	MFV Edin- burgh	MFV Geo Searcher	MFV Edin- burgh	* MFV Geo Searcher	SA Agulhas II	MFV Edin- burgh	MFV Edin- burgh	MV Baltic Trader	MFV Edin- burgh
ETD Cape Town	16 Jan	12 Feb	12 Mar	19 Jun	29 Aug	17 Sep	19 Sep	06 Nov	12 Dec	15 Dec
ETA Tristan	23 Jan	19 Feb	19 Mar	26 Jun	08 Sep	23 Sep	25 Sep	12 Nov	22 Dec	22 Dec
ETD Tristan	31 Jan	28 Feb	27 Mar	06 Jul	20 Dec	11 Oct	03 Oct	20 Nov	26 Dec	21 Feb 2021
ETA Cape Town	06 Feb	05 Mar	02 Apr	12 Jul	27 Dec	16 Oct	10 Oct	27 Nov	05 Jan 2021	28 Feb 2021

* The MFV Geo Searcher foundered off Gough Island on the 15th October 2020, thankfully without loss of life.

2021

	MV Baltic Trader	MFV Edin- burgh	MFV Edin- burgh	MFV Edin- burgh
ETD Cape Town	16 Jan	18 Mar	29 Apr	10 Jun	The impact of global travel restrictions arising from the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic mean that dates for the rest of 2021 are still being considered. For the foreseeable future, there will be no passengers other than islanders and those on essential business for the Government of Tristan da Cunha.
ETA Tristan	26 Jan	25 Mar	06 May	17 Jun
ETD Tristan	30 Jan	02 Apr	14 May	25 Jun
ETA Cape Town	09 Feb	08 Apr	20 May	01 Jul

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Epic Journey

	A journey to Tristan da Cunha is always by ship. The 2810 km or 1750 mile journey from Cape Town harbour will normally take six days. A landing after the passage depends on the weather, although the Agulhas normally flies passengers ashore immediately, except in severe weather conditions. All dates are provisional.
The Fair Cape: Tristan journeys start and end in the beautiful Table Bay Harbour Cape Town, South Africa.		Long awaited: The world's most isolated community regards the arrival of every ship as a special occasion.

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Cape Town - Tristan da Cunha Passenger Fares (Subject to confirmation)

SA Agulhas (Updated 28th May 2014)		Single			Return
a. Concession Rate : available to passengers with close family or official links
	Adult :	Rand	1200		Rand	2400
	Child (6 - 15 years) Children under 6 free	Rand	600		Rand	1200
b. Ordinary Rate
	Adult	Rand	4475		Rand	8950
	Child (6 - 15 years) Children under 6 free	Rand	2250		Rand	4500
MFV Edinburgh or MV Baltic Trader
a. Concession Rate : Resident Islanders only
	Adult : Medevac	US$	70		US$	140
	Child : Medevac (2 - 15 years) Children under 2 free	US$	35		US$	70
	Adult : Other	US$	87.50		US$	175
	Child (2 - 15 years) Children under 2 free	US$	43.75		US$	87.50
b. Official Rate : Expatriate temporary residents, and any non-resident with close family or official linksx
	Adult	US$	250		US$	500
	Child (2 - 15 years) Children under 2 free	US$	125		US$	250
c. Tourist Rate : Passengers with no family or official links with Tristan da Cunha
	Adult	US$	500		US$	1000
	Child (2 - 15 years) Children under 2 free	US$	250		US$	500

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Travel Policy: Passenger Priority Passenger spaces on vessels are limited and are allocated in the following order of priority
1.	Medevac (Priority)	The Chief Medical Officer must give the patient, suffering from serious illness/condition, a formal referral letter to see a consultant overseas
2.	Official (Priority)	The Administrator certifies the need for an official to attend important Island business
3.	Private (urgent business) – Islander & Non Resident Islander	The Administrator recommends that the person attend urgent private business overseas e.g. weddings
4.	Medevac (non priority treatment)	The Chief Medical Officer must give the patient suffering from a less serious illness/condition a formal referral letter to see a consultant overseas
5.	Official (non priority)	The Administrator certifies the need for an official to attend to Island business.
6.	Private (non priority travel) - Resident Islander	Holiday
7.	Private (non priority travel) – Non Resident Islander	Holiday
8.	Private (non priority travel) – Visitor	Holiday/Tourists
If you are in category 4 to 8 above, you may be required to give up your booking and defer your travel to another sailing for those covered by category 1-3.

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Notes

1. All applications to visit Tristan da Cunha should be submitted to the Administrator's Office, and require the prior approval of the Island Council. Subsequent Travel Bookings and requests for concessionary fare rates must also be made via the Administrator's Office. See Arranging a Visit Page
2. Passenger tickets for SA Agulhas will be issued by Table Bay Marine, Cape Town
3. Passenger tickets for Edinburgh / Geo Searcher will be issued by Ovenstones, Cape Town or the Factory, Tristan da Cunha
4. Close family links are understood to refer to a passenger plus spouse and dependants who have parents, grandparents, children, sisters, brothers, aunts or uncles resident on Tristan.
5. For further information on the ships themselves check out the Scheduled Ships Page