Superyacht visits more than double in a year

Over 400 superyachts called at the Rock last year in an upward trend which has seen a 60% increase in visits.

The Gibraltar Port Authority [GPA] reported growth in both the total number of ships calling locally for bunkers and the amount of fuel delivered. Last year a total of 204 cruise ships visited Gibraltar which was a 13% increase over the 180 calls in 2014.

The amount of superyachts calling on the Rock has also increased with 478 visiting compared to 2014 with 299. Over a year the number of superyachts visiting Gibraltar increased by 60%.

The GPA is hopeful the superyachts will increase their stays when the new marina becomes available for use.

“The Port’s robust performance is testament to the outstanding work of the GPA in its efforts to further improve efficiency and in aggressively marketing the port,” Minister for Shipping Albert Isola said.

“It is also down to the enduring commitment of the bunker suppliers, shipping agents and other operators at the Port of Gibraltar for which I wish to express my sincere gratitude and support.”

Captain of the Port, Bob Sanguinetti said that although it is still early days the trend has reinforced Gibraltar position as the Mediterranean’s leading bunker port.

“I look forward to continuing to work in increasing our range and quality of services together with the team at the GPA and, of course, our private sector partners,” Mr Sanguinetti said.

In the next coming months the GPA will be promoting Gibraltar in a visitin to Singapore and Hong Kong. This will be a joint visit between the Financial Services and Port Marketing. At the April event Mr Isola will be joined by representatives from the private sector.