Gibraltar is looking at new ways to use its anchorages in a move that could free up berths for bunkering.
"We are still in the very early days of this issue," Captain Peter Hall, Chief Executive and Captain of the Port of Gibraltar, told Bunkerworld.
Attention is focused on Gibraltar's Eastern Anchorage, a sea area that has become less crowded since ships have been required to pay anchorage fees.
"We are monitoring the situation. Even if we don't use the area for bunkering, other services could be moved there, freeing up space in the Western Anchorage," said Hall.
The Port Captain told last week's Bunkerworld Bunker Summit (Mediterranean and Black Sea) that exploiting the Easter Anchorage as an operational area could effectively double the port's capacity.
The Eastern Anchorage had for years been free of port charges and was used by vessels lying at anchor awaiting orders and not using port services.
But Hall said, with fewer ships using the Eastern anchorage for awaiting orders, it could be utilised for services like waste collection, crew changes and stores. This would have the effect of decongesting the Western Anchorage.
Even though Gibraltar's Eastern Anchorage is exposed to wind and waves and is inappropriate for ship-to-ship bunker operations, moving services from the Western Anchorage could open more space for ship refuelling.
Gibraltar is the largest bunkering port in the Western Mediterranean. Last year it delivered 4.2 million metric tonnes (mt) of bunker product, a small drop in volumes year-on-year.
Observers say that a key issue inhibiting growth has been lack of space.
There are currently 11 areas set aside for bunkering in Gibraltar's sheltered Western Anchorage, three of them taken up with floating storage.