EMEA News
Gibraltar Moves Toward Onshore Storage
Gibraltar is moving forward with plans for modern onshore bunker storage with the move of a large tanker to berth, the Gibraltar Chronicle reports.
The Vemaoil tanker, the Vemaspirit, was previously anchored in British waters in the Bay of Gibraltar and used to supply smaller tankers that delivered fuel to cargo ships.
The Gibraltar government is planning a project on the Detached Mole breakwater that could allow for the storage of fuel.
"Some operators have chosen to take storage space at the shore facilities in Algeciras while Vemaoil, wishing to invest in Gibraltar, has been working with Government for a considerable period of time to develop a solution utilising the Detached Mole as a bunker storage facility," a government spokesman said.
"The intention is to further develop the idea to provide a modern storage facility with state-of-the-art safety and counter pollution facilities comparable with any other shore installation."
For now, the Vemaspirit will remain berthed inside the port to provide bunker storage space and transfer the fuel to bunker barges.
Spain announced efforts last fall to ban bunkering off the coast of Gibraltar, but the government of the British territory says the move toward onshore fuelling is not related to that dispute.
The plan to build Gibratar storage facilities comes as Vopak is working to expand its storage facilities at nearby Algeciras.
