Floating hotel piggy-backs into Gibraltar

(Photo: chronicle.gi)

GIBRALTAR Gibraltar’s new floating hotel, Sunborn Gibraltar, arrived yesterday morning on the back of a transportation vessel. She was due to be floated off her host this morning and will later be moved to Gibdock for minor preparatory work. According to The Gibraltar Chronicle, Brian Stevendale, CEO for Sunborn Gibraltar, said: "This is a huge news story for Gibraltar, the arrival of the world’s first five star yacht hotel on our shores. She’s a stunning piece of workmanship and over 3,000 experts from across the world have been involved in her development and construction – a project of a monumental scale. "Not only will she provide a much needed luxury hospitality and events venue for Gibraltar, but she will also create 200 permanent jobs for local people.”

Tragedy in the Straits of Gibraltar

Two fishing boats set out for Canaries and never return · British ship involved

ALGECIRAS A book presentation is taking place this evening at the Millán Picazo Auditorium in Algeciras. José Regueira, Jimena's retired pharmacist and Official Chronicler of the village (and father to the two current pharmacists, Victor and Hector) left Galicia fifty years ago, but never lost touch with his native A Coruña, and for years wrote articles for La Voz de Galicia, connecting that northwestern region with Cádiz. Much of what he wrote was about the sea, a common thread to both communities. One of his articles, a real sea story of the Spanish Civil War, caught the attention of a reader in the northern region. It was about two fishing boats, manned by 24 Galicians, that left Algeciras, in the midst of the war, headed for a port on the Saharan side of the Canary Islands. They never returned. That reader happened to be the grandson of Enrique Pereira, the skipper of the San Fausto, one of the boats. There's a lot more to this Campo de Gibraltar story that was also researched by Luis Romero and José Manuel Algarbani.>>>

Ship scrapping rules divide EU countries

Spain and France support non-compliance sanctions, Germany and UK oppose the measure

LUXEMBOURG New Community laws on the scrapping of ships has split the 27 countries of the European Union. The new rules are aimed at achieving the least possible environmental impact, but some the most controversial points are about sanctions against shipowners who break the rules. The EC agreed last week to continue paying the present subsidies until 2017, as well as help when a fleet is grounded temporarily. Spain thus managed to overcome opposition from some countries that had wanted to eliminate these subsidies immediately. The agreement has yet to pass the European chamber. Spains Minister for the Environment. Miguel Arias Cañete, on his arrival at the meeting said he believed "recycling of ships is important for Spain" because "it is an opportunity for our shipyards and other installations to be registered as being permitted to carry out this activity."

Theme cruise ship chooses Málaga over Algeciras port

MS Grand Mistral

Promoter says a good opportunity was lost for lack of local institutional support

ALGECIRAS (Source: Agencies) The Grand Mistral cruise liner, with room for 1,800 passengers, will now be based at Málaga instead of Algeciras. The news wouldn't be especially important if it wasn't for the comments made by the man who promoted and sold the idea of a cruise around the Mediterranean identifying architecture and places related to Cuba. The project was not for just this one cruise, but to create other such themed journeys using Algeciras as a base. The port has always been envious of Gibraltar, where they see the largest and best such ships mooring daily.>>>SOON YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO READ THE REST OF ITEMS SUCH AS THIS UNLESS YOU SUBSCRIBE. Subscription information will be available soon.>>>

Over 22,000 guns seized in Algeciras port

One of the captured guns

Hidden among shipment of clothing from Turkey

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The Customs Police and the Guardia Civil ended an operation last week in the Port of Algeciras by seizing 22,272 replica guns ready for transformation into firearms. The guns were uncovered together with 13,500 magazines hidden behind a wall of boxes of clothing in a container from Istambul, Turkey, with a final destination at Djibouti. The street value of the pistols and magazines was calculated to be over €2,000,000.

Cocaine ship boarded on the high seas

Unloading at Cádiz

31 people arrested 50 miles out from Cádiz

CÁDIZ A ship believed to be carrying a large cargo of cocaine was boarded on Monday by units of the National Police's Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO), and is now moored at Cádiz, under heavy guard. Thirty-one people were arrested in the operation, most of whom allegedly belong to one of Spain's largest cartels. The ship, the SV Nikolay, belongs to a firm in the Bulgarian port of Burgas, Bulgaria's BTA news agency reports. She was headed for the coast of Galicia, and would presumably have acted there as a 'mother ship' while the cocaine was unloaded in smaller vessels, and eventually headed for Madrid. The arrested included Spaniards, Colombians and Bulgars. The ship was found to be carrying over three tonnes of cocaine, and the arrested appeared in court yesterday morning.

'Smelly ship' to be investigated

Pearl of Para

Russia demands an explanation

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle/by Eyleen Sheil) ‘Pearl of Para’, a cattle-carrying ship that wafted into the Bay on July 28 for bunkering and brought with it a very unpleasant smell, is at the centre of complaints from animal welfare activists. It is now being claimed that 400 pregnant cattle may have died on board during the journey from the USA to Russia, but this had not been confirmed. In a report published in The Voice of Russia, it is alleged the cattle died and the report questions not only why, but who is responsible also, accusing the US as this was the port of departure or Italy as this was the flag of state she sailed under. However, registry records show her flag to be the Marshall Islands. The article quotes the>>>

Ferry hits island in heavy fog, no injuries

(Photo: europasur.es)

TARIFA The 'Algeciras Jet' ferry, based in Tarifa for trips across the Straits to Tangier, yesterday afternoon at about 3pm hit what is believed to be an underwater rock near Isla de las Palomas, one of several islets close to the larger Isla de Tarifa. Fortunately no-one was injured. The boat returned to port and passengers disembarked, having to wait at least two hours to complete their journey.

Luxury yacht docks at Algeciras

(Photo: europasur.es)

ALGECIRAS  The luxury yacht, Wind Spirit, is presently docked at the port in Algeciras. She stands out among the busy-ness of container ships and oil tankers. Wind Spirit, consigned to MH Bland, is here for some renovation work to her elegant interior, as well as a complete inspection of her lifeboats. At 134m in length, she carries four masts, four decks and up to 148 passengers. Her owners, Windstar Cruises, aims at the luxury cruise market - which is evident by the fact that Wind Spirit and her sister ship, Wind Star (also due for refurbishment in Algeciras), also house a library, a casino, restaurant, gym and spa, as well as 74 cabins.

Headed for San Roque to be extended

(Photo: europasur.es)

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) Málaga port's floating dyke, 'Andalucía', set sail yesterday for the Cernaval shipyard in San Roque, where it will be extended by 45 metres. Having been released from its anchorage on Thursday and then moored to Dock 4, where it stayed over the weekend being prepared for the journey, it was tugged out to sea in an operation that took an hour and a half. It is expected to have arrived in San Roque overnight (well after CampoPulse went to bed). The work consists of adding 45 metres to its length and thus allow for repairs of ships of 150 metres when it returns to its base in Málaga.

Nigeria, origin of most Algeciras port cargo

(Photo: algecirasinformacion.net)

ALGECIRAS Some three million containers come through the Port of Algeciras each year. It may stay in the country or be sent off to any of 150 connecting ports all over the world. Not surprisingly most of the cargo in 2010 came to Algeciras from Nigeria, containing agricultural or food products. Thus, Nigeria takes over from Egypt as the main source of cargo, calculated at 3.67 million tons. The year before that, Nigeria was in third place, with 'only' a million tons. After hat, the top rankings are: Spain (2.84 million tons), Saudi Arabia (2.75), Morocco (2.5) China (2.02) Iran (1.4) Turkey (1.2) and India (1.06) This is for merchandise coming into Algeciras, including from other Spanish ports. As to the most important destinations for outgoing cargo, other Spanish ports took 5.71 million tons; Morocco, 2.55; Gibraltar, 1.36 and Algeria, 1.04. IF YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING, USEFUL OR ENTERTAINING, PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK, EFFORT AND COST IT TAKES TO BRING IT TO YOU. WE WOULD APPRECIATE A DONATION TO CONTINUE A FREE SERVICE.

'Deneb' is righted with powerful cranes

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) 'Deneb', the container ship that sank in the port of Algeciras in early June, was being righted by powerful cranes yesterday. The salvage company Svitzer, had announced last month that refloating the ship could take a week, but she touched bottom shortly after the announcement. However, work began yesterday to refloat her, after having removing 163 containers and 74 tons of fuel, with the help of two 600-ton cranes and another smaller 400-ton one. Water is also being pumped out to help in refloating her. The operation has caused considerable trouble in the port, with the immediate area cordoned off and speeds reduced to minimums.

The four big ones take up 78% of port cargo movements

SPAIN/ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The four big port authorities in Spain - Valencia, Bay of Algeciras, Barcelona and Bilbao - concentrate 78.5% of the total of general cargo of all ports in the country (except Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, who don't have updated information) over the first three months in 2011. In tons it adds up to 32.2 million. The 46 main ports in Spain moved 41.1 million tons over the same period, a rise of 4.7% year to year. Algeciras alone accounted for 9,789,220 tons, 8.2% less than 2010. This places Algeciras second in tonnage, behind Valencia with 13,070,846 tons, up by 8,8%.

Wind forces delays on Tangier ferry

(Photo: Europa Sur)

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The parking lot known as Llano Amarillo ('Yellow Flatland') was filled yesterday when the wind delayed the regular ferry links with Tangier. This is the busiest time of year for the ferry, causing an operation known as Operación Paso del Estrecho (OPE, or Straits Pass) that organizes the thousands of vehicles and people heading from Europe to Morocco for the summer holidays, using the Algeciras - Tangier-Med terminals. Yesterday's wind from the North East had several ferries returning to port in Algeciras, unable to complete the crossing. However, Sunday numbers were similar to Saturday's (almost 8,000 vehicles and 25,000 passengers), but the OPE allows tickets to be exchanged for the Algeciras - Ceuta route, which many used as that crossing was not interrupted.

Refloating the Deneb could take a week

(Photo: EuropaSur)

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The container ship Deneb, registered in Antigua and Barbuda, that ran aground on Saturday at the Juan Carlos I Quay in Algeciras port, has as yet not caused any environmental damage, according to sources watching the situation. Svitzer, the specialist company hired to refloat her, says it will take about a week to do so. Two of the four floating cranes needed for the operation have already arrived, another is expected today. Nevertheless, crews have been working since early Sunday morning, as have teams of environmental protection entities.

False professional mariner certificates: gang caught

CÁDIZ (Agencies) The Guardia Civil last week dismantled a gang of thirty members that had been issuing false sailing and mariner certificates for some time. Arrests were made in seven provinces, four in Cádiz. The counterfeit certificates were first detected by the Ceuta unit of the GC, and were principally for the type of certificate needed to become a Recreational Boat captain or Basic Navigation certificates to use when operating speedboats and jet skis and zodiac-type boats. These last are the preferred method of transport of drug and tobacco smugglers, many of whom have fallen foul of the law as a result of this Operación Girasol (Operation Sunflower). More arrests are expected.

Algeciras Bay opens up to ship repairs with 'Silver Wind'

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) The dockyards in Campamento that belong to Cernaval, have just taken on the repair of the pleasure cruiser Silver Wind, which came into the bay yesterday morning, headed for a refit. This is the first time a cruise ship has come to this dock for maintenance and repair, and the company and its workers hope it will not be the last.

Stevedores hold out for strike on April 8

Algeciras container port

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) Union representatives at the stevedoring company in the port have decided to call a 24 hour strike on April 8, in protest against the new custom of contracting outside workers instead of those from the company itself. This strike is in addition to tose 2-hour ones called for on April 7 and 14 by various unions "so that the national port authority pronounces itself on the conflict, and gives clear instructions on current law in the matter." The latter strikes will affect all ports in Spain, while the former applies only to Algeciras.

Port rejection brings out the politics and politicians

TARIFA (Agencies/Photo: EuropaSur) As might be expected, the Environment Ministry's very recent rejection of a project for major renewal of the port in Tarifa, has brought out reactions of all political colours. With the Junta's various PSOE divisions closing ranks behind the decision and the Minister herself saying a new project will be created, it is not surprising that the Izquierda Unida (IU) Deputy for Cádiz, Ignacio García, accuses the PSOE being "absolutely incoherent to go against the ministry's own decisions for a few votes." For his part the PP's spokesperson on the subject, José Loaiza, criticized the central government and the Junta of never having supported the project but now want to become the "best defenders" of it, making the "new attitude" a merely "electoralist" position.

Environment Ministry denies project for expanding port

TARIFA (Agencies) The Ministry for the Environment, Rural and Maritime Media has issued an unfavourable report on the project aimed at expanding the port. The Port Authority, based in Algeciras, is debating whether to abandon plans it has been working on since 2004. The project would have made Tarifa the third passenger port on the peninsula. The head of the Bay of Algeiras Port Authority, Manuel Morón, expressed his frustration at the press conference that nnounced the decision he had already heard about in Madrid on Monday. Frustration, too for those who saw in the project opportunity for growth and employment. However, environmentalists are united in their praise of the ministry's decision, having seen the project as a great threat to the local marine and territorial environment.