It is with great relief to learn that the deafening blasts from ships horns offshore in the early hours of Tuesday morning, did not result in injury or pollution of the marine environment. The ESG tracked the situation from when a minor collision was confirmed but very few details emerged of the incident until late afternoon.

The group understands that more information will be released on how this happened given our state-of-the-art vessel tracking technology in place.

The incident must serve as an urgent reminder to the Port to respond to recommendations made, in the OS 35 Report published only last month, addressing procedures governing ship movements in and out of our waters. These must be revised to reduce the risk of further collisions from happening. 

These recommendations are not only necessary but best practice and should, in our view, be implemented without further delay.

These are:

The Gibraltar Port VTS is recommended to formalise the procedure for advising departing vessels, with no pilot embarked, of the recommended route for departing the Western Anchorage.

And that:

Gibraltar Pilots are recommended to:

-Provide masters, on arrival and on their website, with the information required of the option to take a pilot from anchorage to sea.

-Formalise the information provided to masters for departing the Western Anchorage  on arrival

Lastly, that the Gibraltar Port Authority is recommended to consider introducing compulsory pilotage for vessels departing the western Anchorage.

Ends.

ESG to follow up matter further.