Official page for the Gibraltar Port Authority Today, this same quirk of geography has allowed Gibraltar to become a Maritime 'Centre of Excellence'.
A Centre of Maritime Excellence
The strategic location of Gibraltar explains why, for centuries, the Rock has been used as a naval fortress and why so many battles have been fought over this important peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Located at a crossroads of Mediterranean and Atlantic shipping lanes Gibraltar is ideally placed to provide a wide range of services to vessels of
all sizes and types, and with nearly 240 million gross tonnes of vessel calls per year this is clearly the case. Gibraltar is a bustling commercial centre and with over 71,000 vessels transiting the Strait of Gibraltar each year, the Rock has developed into a major bunkering port – the largest in the Mediterranean – and offers a wide range of other shipping services. The local airport is just a few minutes from the harbour, from where there are several daily flights to various destinations in the UK and experienced agents are on hand to obtain spare parts, supply provisions and effect crew changes. The Port Authority
Established in 2005, the Gibraltar Port Authority's strategy is to build on Gibraltar's unique geographical position and fiscal status and provide a vital link between all stakeholders to ensure a cohesive strategy aimed at achieving common goals in developing and improving the competitiveness and safe operation of the Port of Gibraltar. All operational matters including navigational safety and the smooth running of the Port are overseen by The Captain of the Port . The Port Authority's main functions are:
Monitoring and control of all vessel movements for BGTW in support of port operations and navigational safety;
Provision and monitoring of port security including provision of security controls within restricted and controlled zones;
The licensing of Port operations;
Search and Rescue in BGTW;
Pollution prevention and response;
Monitoring and control of ship-to-ship and bunkering operations within BGTW.
