Staying the
course G
ibraltar’s reputation as a maritime ‘Centre of Excellence’ has been well documented, both within the pages of Land, Sea and Air and throughout the industry. Catching up on developments in and around the largest bunkering port in the Mediterranean over the last six months, perhaps the most significant news is the ascension of
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Manuel Tirado to the position of acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Captain of the Port. Manuel’s move to this role is tailormade for a man who has spent the better part of 35 years working within the field and possesses a wealth of experience that can be put to good use. “Having gratefully and proudly taken on this important role for the time being, my primary goal is to continue the work
of my predecessors in ensuring the safety of navigation in British Gibraltar territorial waters and in promoting the first-class services that the port provides to all visiting vessels to the global maritime community,” Manuel explains. Manuel’s role as acting CEO and Captain of the Port comes at an exciting time for the port and its infrastructure as it prepares to relocate to the southern end of the Rock, a move it expects to complete by the end of 2017 or very early in the New Year. “We are, of course, very excited to be moving shortly to a new, purpose-built building and accompanying control tower,” he continues. “As far as the new building is concerned, while it does not represent a significant increase in physical footprint, albeit it is a slightly larger site, the main advantage is that the new location provides us with an excellent vantage point, in the sense that it will allow us to monitor all traffic coming in and going out of the Bay, both from the eastern and western sides of the enclave, both visually and through the use of leading edge technology.” The technology that Manuel speaks