Port Castries is one of St. Lucia's two principal seaports, serving commercial and cruise traffic rather than functioning as a yacht marina. SLASPA publishes six cargo berths, limited small-vessel anchorage and compulsory pilotage above 100 GRT.
Port Castries is a working commercial and cruise harbour. For a yacht, the local complexity can include berth or anchorage allocation, compulsory pilotage above 100 GRT, Customs timing, cargo/spares declarations and the normal national Port Health and Immigration requirements.
SLASPA publishes six general-cargo berths with depths ranging from about 5.5 m to 9.75 m, plus Pointe Seraphine cruise berths and limited internal anchorage for small vessels. The intended yacht position should be confirmed with the port before arrival.
SLASPA states that pilotage is compulsory for vessels over 100 GRT at Castries. Published normal pilot availability is 08:00–16:30, with pilots available on request outside those hours, so larger-yacht timing requires port coordination.
SLASPA publishes Customs clearance at Port Castries from 08:00–16:00 with overtime available. A local agent can coordinate that window with Port Health/pratique, Immigration and any cargo, spares or stores issues relevant to the yacht.
Prepare the applicable records before arrival or departure.
Castries is a principal commercial and cruise seaport, so Yacht Clearance has to be coordinated with berth allocation and pilotage where applicable rather than treated as a marina-desk procedure.
Crew and passenger data, vessel details, route and relevant cargo information fall under the national advance-reporting rules, including the separate report inward. SLASPA publishes six general-cargo berths, limited small-craft anchorage and compulsory pilotage above 100 GRT, so berth and pilot requirements should be aligned with the ETA.
International vessels must satisfy the Port Health pratique requirement before normal shore communication. Port Castries is a Customs port, and SLASPA publishes Customs clearance from 08:00–16:00 with overtime available; local coordination can align the border formalities with the port-operating plan.
Castries is particularly relevant where imported spares, equipment, stores or other goods require Customs treatment. Those goods should be identified as part of the call, and for yachts over 100 GRT the outward pilot arrangement should be tied to the same departure plan as the applicable outward reporting and clearance.
Port Castries is one of St. Lucia’s principal seaports and a Customs port. An international yacht call remains subject to Customs, Immigration and Port Health clearance.
Berth allocation and compulsory pilotage above 100 GRT are port-operational requirements. They sit alongside the border and health formalities rather than replacing them.
Customs law requires advance passenger and cargo information through the proper officer, normally at least 24 hours before arrival from a non-CARICOM country and one hour from a CARICOM member state. Short-voyage alternatives may be set by Customs.
The Customs framework separately requires the vessel’s report inward 24 hours before arrival. This is distinct from the advance passenger and cargo data submission.
A vessel arriving from a foreign place must await pratique before shore communication. Securing a Castries berth or arranging a pilot does not itself constitute border clearance.
SailClear is an optional electronic pre-arrival service where supported. It does not replace IMPACS reporting, the separate Customs report inward, or formal Port Health, Customs and Immigration clearance.
Yes. SLASPA identifies Castries as one of St. Lucia's two principal seaports. It is primarily a commercial and cruise harbour rather than a yacht marina, so the local operating environment is different from Rodney Bay or Marigot Bay.
SLASPA states that pilotage is compulsory for vessels over 100 GRT. It publishes normal pilot availability from 08:00–16:30 and pilots on request outside those hours, making gross tonnage and ETA important for larger-yacht planning.
SLASPA publishes an internal anchorage for small vessels with good holding ground but little swinging room. Vessels must keep clear of the fairway and submarine cables near the harbour entrance, so anchorage suitability is an operational port matter rather than a general cruising assumption.
SLASPA currently publishes Customs clearance from 08:00–16:00, with overtime available on request. Immigration and Port Health attendance should be coordinated separately for the yacht's intended arrival or departure time.
SLASPA lists six general-cargo berths: berth 1 at 60.96 m, berths 2 and 3 as a continuous 219.45 m face, berth 4 at 151.79 m, berth 5 at 158.49 m and berth 6 at 136.55 m, with published depths from about 5.5 m to 9.75 m. Allocation remains a port decision.
Use this page for Castries arrival, departure and St. Lucia yacht-paperwork assistance.