EMEA News
Environmental Group Call for Regulatory Action Amid Increased Bunkering at Gibraltar
Verdemar-Ecologistas en Acción (Verdemar) intends to urge the European Union (EU) and Spanish authorities to take action to prevent pollution related to the growing bunkering activities east of Gibraltar, according to Spanish media reports.
Antonio Muñoz, spokesperson for the group in Campo de Gibraltar region, says there should be a management plan implemented to prevent pollution in the area, particularly around unlawful discharges by vessels.
As a result of the increase in bunkering activity, Muñoz says that "on many occasions" pollution from illegal discharges have been found in the water and along the beaches of La Línea and east of the Alboran.
Verdemar says it will ask EU and the Spanish authorities to put an end to such pollution, noting that the current bunkering activity "may be illegal" under conservation regulations, Zona de Especial Conservación del LIC del Estrecho Oriental.
Further, the group is reported to oppose a Port Authority of Algeciras Bay (APBA) project that is intended to develop an anchoring platform for ships of about 20,000 hectares from La Linea de la Concepcion to Chullera, in Manilva.
Verdemar says that the increased shipping-related activity has put 40 kilometers of coastline in danger and threatens tourism - both concerns that it says it will take to the EU.
