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Suriname Flag of Suriname

Pre Arrival:  Charts
Communications:  Pre-Arrival
Facilities:  Medical
Local Info:  Time | Holidays | Weather
Shore:  Consuls | Banks | Customs
Crew:  Leave | Repatriation
Misc:  Authority
General Information for Suriname
Geo-political:
Capital City: Paramaribo.
Nationality: (noun) Surinamer, (adjective) Surinamese.
Population: 481,267.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 597.
Number of Internal Airports: 5.
Major Languages Spoken: Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese.
Economy:
Currency: 1 Suriname Dollar (SRD) of 100 Cents.
Exchange Rates:  (as of November 2016)
USD 1.00 = SRD 7.73
SRD 1.00 = USD 0.13
Exchange rates under licence from XE.com
Main Industries: Bauxite and gold mining, alumina production, oil, lumbering, food processing and fishing.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 386 km.
Climate: Tropical; moderated by trade winds.
Natural Resources: Timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum and iron ore.
Terrain: Mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps.
CHARTS: 
Publications:  Notice to Mariners issued by the Maritieme Autoriteit Suriname (MAS), and available for viewing online at www.mas.sr/
MAS is the only competent authority (Article 3 Act MAS) issuing official shipping information in Suriname. The authority is not liable for damage and/or loss that may result from incomplete/incorrect information supplied by third parties. For official information please contact the Department of Marketing & Communication.
Contact: Erna Aviankoi BA, Head of Marketing & Communications. [email protected]
PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION:  All vessels more than 50 g.t. arriving at the ports of Paramaribo and Nieuw Nickerie are to submit a completed Notice of Arrival to MAS at least 48 hours before arrival. Additionally, a Maritime Declaration of Health and Crew List shall be submitted. NOA forms are available on the MAS website www.mas.sr/ and all forms should be submitted by fax or email to the following:
  1. F: +597 472845 or F: +597 472940 (Paramaribo)
  2. F: +597 231585 (Corentyne Nickerie)
  3. [email protected] and [email protected] and [email protected] (Paramaribo)
  4. [email protected] and [email protected] and [email protected] and [email protected] (Corentyne Nickerie).
When within range, all ships more than 50 g.t. arriving at the port of Paramaribo or the Corentyne/Nickerie rivers from the outer buoy, are to report to the Maritieme Autoriteit Suriname and provide:
  1. vessel's name
  2. IMO number
  3. position at the time of notification
  4. destination.
Contact:  Paramaribo VTC: VHF Channels 16/12. T: +597 474575. F: +597 472845. Corentyne Nickerie: T: +597 231585, M: +597 816 8461.
MEDICAL:  Medical facilities are severely limited in Suriname. Make sure you have adequate health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation.
Cases of Chikungunya virus have been confirmed in Suriname and the number of reported cases in the region is increasing. You should take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
In the 2012 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 3,800 adults aged 15 or over in Suriname were living with HIV; the prevalence percentage was estimated at around 1.1% of the adult population. Exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS.
If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 115 and ask for an ambulance. You should contact your insurance/medical assistance company promptly if you are referred to a medical facility for treatment.
Yellow fever vaccination is required for travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. This includes arrivals from Guyana, French Guiana and Brazil.
HOLIDAYS:  New Year's Day; Holi Phagwa *; Good Friday; Easter Monday; Labour Day (1 May); Freedom Day (1 July); Id-Ul-Fitr *; Independence Day (25 November); Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
* These holidays depend on the moon.
WEATHER/TIDES:  Natural Disasters:  Much of the north and centre of Suriname is prone to flooding.
CONSULS:  Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Rep of, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA and Venezuela.
BANKS:  Credit cards are not widely accepted outside the major hotels. In Paramaribo some of the ATMs will accept international credit and debit cards and dispense Surinamese Dollars. If you are bringing currency with you, bring US Dollars or Euros; some currencies, such as Pound Sterling, cannot be exchanged.
CUSTOMS:  Douane Suriname. T: +597 402778. F: +597 403164. [email protected] www.douanesuriname.com/
SHORE LEAVE:  Burglary, armed robbery and violent crime occur in Paramaribo and surrounding areas. Pick-pocketing and robbery are increasingly common in the major business and shopping districts in the capital. You should avoid wearing expensive jewellery or displaying large amounts of money in public. Keep valuables like your passport, tickets, driving licence and travellers’ cheques secure and keep photocopies of these documents in a separate place.
Avoid remote and secluded areas, quiet streets and quiet parks. Avoid the Palm Garden (Palmentium) area in Paramaribo at night. Apart from the entertainment centre around the Torarica Hotel, you should avoid walking at night anywhere in the city.
Travel in the interior of the country is generally trouble-free, although there have been reports of tourists being robbed. Use a well-established tour company if you intend to travel to these parts of Suriname.
REPATRIATION:  All airline passengers leaving Suriname must pay a departure tax. The current fee is USD66 or EUR52. It cannot be paid in Surinamese Dollars; only US Dollars or Euros are accepted.
AUTHORITY:  Head Office:  Maritieme Autoriteit Suriname (MAS), Maritime Operations, Cornelis Jongbawstraat 2, PO Box 888, Paramaribo, Suriname. Tel: +597 476733, 474575. Fax: +597 472940, 472845. [email protected] http://www.mas.sr Contact: Michel Amafo LLM, Director. Lloyd Gemerts, Manager, Maritime Administration.