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INDUSTRY - GIBRALTAR REPORT The need for a VTS is clearly illustrated by this busy seen in the Western Anchorage. Gibraltar will soon have its own AIS, which Capt Hall explained would give the Port Authority greater scope to see approaching vessels at around 60 miles distant. This will enable the port to schedule calls more effectively and try to avoid bottlenecks at the anchorages. Information can then be exchanged with the various service providers whereby a vessel’s turnaround time could be reduced by alleviating waiting time. Security and efficiency are high on Capt Hall’s priorities. To this end, bunker supply at Gibraltar is undertaken adhering to a strict code of practice while the Port employs a dedicated bunkering superintendent. Both the suppliers and barges are vetted. During the past few years, the older single hull bunker barges have been replaced by new, or secondhand double hull product tankers, many of which have a larger capacity than their predecessors. Gibraltar is one of the last major bunkering ports available for vessels entering the northern ECAs, resulting in more low sulphur fuel being stemmed. Many vessels will take on both HFO and LSFO while at the anchorage. Capt Hall explained that due to the piracy problems in the Red Sea area and the costs now associated with Suez Canal transits, more vessels were making use of the South African route. Vessels sailing on the North/South routes pass within about 20 miles of the Rock, while Mediterranean traffic (East/West) transits within a few miles of Gibraltar in the two vessel separation zones. Another long term project was to look for alternatives to the floating storage tankers anchored in the Bay used to supply the bunker barges. Handysize and MR product tankers currently transfer fuel into the storage tankers in a ship-to-ship transfer operation. One solution being discussed is the opening of land-based storage facilities on the Rock, but any move was still a long way off, Captain Hall confirmed. Flag increases This has been a good year for the Gibraltar Maritime Administration (GMA) despite the dramatic downturn in the maritime world, claimed Alan Cubbin, Gibraltar’s Maritime Administrator. Notwithstanding this, the GMA has continued its excellent work in maintaining a high quality ship register and has further improved its services to shipping through the updating of legislation and procedures. This has also ensured compliance with international conventions and in maintaining the Gibraltar Ship Register’s status as a Red Ensign Group Category 1 Register. The Registry has also enjoyed further growth and stood at 301 vessels at the end of October 2009, an increase of 11% over the previous year. This clearly demonstrates the high regard in which the Registry is held by the international shipping community, Cubbin said. While the fleet is a mixture of types of ships, tankers make up approximately 24% or 70 plus vessel. Many of these are registered in Germany and the GMA has visited Germany twice in the last two months to call on owners and to discuss the present difficult conditions and evaluate various ways in which the Administration can assist, while at the same time ensuring that international standards are maintained, or improved. Cubbin also said these visits to the companies are useful, not only to listen to the companies’ comments on the present position but also to inform them of the intentions of the Administration to introduce new ideas like Customer Service Managers (CSMs). “This is not a new idea,” said Cubbin, “but it is a change for the GMA. The companies will have an individual CSMs who will deal with all the ships the company has on our registry and will be a focal point for any new registrations or change of flag. With this personal attention we are aiming to provide a better service while improving the fleet performance in the various inspection regimes around the world.” The registry’s staffing levels have recently been increased with additional experienced surveyors and these new staff, allied to the experience of the existing staff, enables all types of ship to be accommodated. While not concentrating on tankers, or small chemical carriers, these are an important part of the fleet, Cubbin said. He explained: “Alan Fairney who was director of operations in the UK MCA has recently joined our team. He has a huge amount of experience on all types of ships. We have also recruited another ex MCA surveyor and two from other sectors of the industry. All of these plus the extensive experience of my exisiting surveyors means we can deal with all types of ships. “It is not only the technical aspects that are important but the experience of the whole registration team means we can register a ship, if all the documents are presented correctly, in a very short timescale, within two/four days in certain cases. We have also recently addressed the concerns of the shipowner in the case of ships being completed in China, where only original documents will be accepted. We can now offer a system which ensures the documents are available in China on the day the registration is being completed in Gibraltar. “Similarly, we issue provisional acceptance of STCW certificates within the same working day and we are refining our system such that both the provisional and the full term endorsements can be issued online. 12 TANKER<strong>Operator</strong> November/December 2009
INDUSTRY - GIBRALTAR REPORT “In themselves, these are not big changes but we are continually looking at how we can help the owner meet the challenges of a difficult situation with no reduction in standards. We are not specifically looking for change of flags, although we have had some 10-15 this year to date. We have also rejected several whose performance and Port State Control records did not meet to our expectations. “These visits (to Germany) are not new for the GMA but we are considering extending these in to countries such as Holland, Norway and possibly Sweden from where we have recently had some enquiries. “Being a member of the Red Ensign Group (REG) has certain advantages, not just the reputation of the flag, but also the provision to call on colleagues in the UK and the other REG registries for help and assistance to carry out inspections and audits on Gibraltarregistered ships around the world. Although not used often this does mean that in some case the costs to the owners can be reduced by using a surveyor from another REG member who is closer to the port where the ship is berthed,” Cubbin said. The other advantage Gibraltar enjoys is Bunker calls are increasing leading to the ‘full up’ sign being posted over the Western Anchorage. being in the European Union; this allows ships registered in Gibraltar to enjoy all the advantages of the cabotage rules but also requires compliance with all of the other marine safety and environmental protection legislation, including the Marine Equipment Directive (MED). “The MED has been a matter of some concern,” said Cubbin, “in the case of ships building in the Far East to a non-EU flag and then trying to switch on delivery. We have made a special point of reminding our owners, recognised organisations and agents that compliance with MED is something which requires careful attention and, whilst we may allow time for small items to be replaced, we have to be very strict in the cases where large items of equipment, like lifeboats or davits do not comply. “The bunkering operations in Gibraltar November/December 2009 TANKER<strong>Operator</strong> 13
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