ALGECIRAS SETS OUT NEW ANCHORAGE AREAS

29/07/2009

The port of Algeciras has restructured its anchorage zones to take into account land reclamation out into the Bay of Gibraltar.

Under the new scheme, a large anchorage zone in front of the port will be split into two to create an access channel to new facilities that will come into operation as from 2010.

The restructuring falls in the port´s existing waters and will result in slightly less space in which merchant ships can anchor to await delivery of fuel and supplies.

The port´s Isla Verde expansion includes plans for a new container terminal and a facility to handle fuel oils, including bunker volumes that will be supplied at anchorage in the bay.

Algeciras has long eyed a larger slice of the lucrative bunkering sector in this area but, despite strong growth over recent years, currently delivers about half the volume supplied by operators in Gibraltar.

In the first half of this year, suppliers in the Spanish port delivered 1.6m tonnes of fuel, up 11% over the same period last year.

Author: The Gibraltar Chronicle