Gibraltar Port Authority fears that the shipping activity in the Port of Gibraltar could be “severely affected” by any post-Brexit disruption at the border. Concerns were raised in a new report conducted by the EU Select Committee in the House of Lords.
In the report, Commodore Bob Sanguinetti, CEO and Captain of GPA noted that 30% of Gibraltar’s bunker fuel was currently stored in Algeciras in Spain, therefore, uncertainty over the movement of parts, provisions, and labour could affect Gibraltar’s attractiveness to visiting ships and place its valuable refuelling business at risk. He highlighted that the port would need to be entirely reconfigured if increased border restrictions obliged Gibraltar to import more goods by sea
“Whilst, in principle, a restricted land border should not affect the provision of bunker fuel across the sea border, specifically from storage in Algeciras, there exists an element of uncertainty as to whether Spanish manoeuvres in a post-Brexit scenario may have an effect in this area and place at risk Gibraltar’s important bunker business, the port’s principal activity,” the GPA submission states.
“Uncertainty over restrictions on movement across the land border – stores, spares, provisions and crew members – in the minds of ship owners and operators may drive them to alternative ports, all else – bunker prices – being equal.”
The GPA also noted that much of the maritime expertise that Gibraltar relied on – including ship surveyors and other such specialists – crossed in from Spain as needed in order to service ships in the port and at anchor in the Bay of Gibraltar.
“Loss of this resource will reduce the attraction of Gibraltar to visiting ships,” the GPA said.
In the report, the GPA also noted that around 88% of all goods imported into Gibraltar arrived overland via the border, including all the food and fuel consumed on the Rock.
Find more details regarding Brexit and its impact on Gibraltar by reading the report herebelow
