This issue may look as bad as ever with a bay littered with countless tankers and regular, if small, incidents, but things here are definitely on the move! Most positively the Gibraltar Port is engaged in numerous layers of improvement and upgrade, both at an administrative level and practical/physical.

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Monitoring will take a gigantic leap also with the installation of state of the art VTS technology backed up by look out towers. What is also impressive is that better political relations under the Tripartite Forum will enable the Gib and Algeciras Port to get on with their important work of co-operation for the safe navigation and monitoring of vessels in real time. Once all these systems are up and running Tangiers will then be targeted to rope that authority into the triangle of management of ships throughout the entire strait area. Great news, if we have to have the level of ship activity in the Bay it has to be supported by adequate monitoring systems and co-operation.

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Outstanding and important to local residents is the question of vapour recovery technology, or VRT. GSD Govt had talked about bringing ship to ship transfers onto land thereby reducing the risk of collision with potentially catastrophic consequences. A further advantage was the opportunity of then installing VRT to a new land based set up

While fumes from bunkering activities have thankfully lessened over the last 12 months, recent events have prompted the ESG to publicly state its concerns once again.

After having received complaints from various members of the public on the 9th and 10th July, and having investigated the issue, we found that the preferred practice of berthing barges at the detached mole had been inexplicably reversed with barges berthing once again at the Extension Jetty, close to densely populated residential areas.

Searing temperatures during hot summer months can cause any fuel to quickly vaporise, often resulting in foul smells throughout neighbourhoods such as Varyl Begg, EuroPlaza and Westview Park.

The ESG received calls from these areas with complaints of nausea, and concerns over the source and impact of the foul smells. The group directed the callers to lodge a complaint with the Environmental Agency whose environmental monitors are accessible after hours via the police station. The ESG also contacted the agency in writing about these complaints and was advised that a follow up had been carried out and recommendations made to the Port by the agency on its findings.

This situation has also brought to light the difficulty, at times, in reaching those within the port with responsibility to address these intolerable situations as they arise. It further raises the need for investment by the bunkering industry into technologies like vapour recovery to prevent any fumes from escaping into the atmosphere.

The ESG calls upon Government to review this situation and ensure that it’s publicly stated preferred policy: to remove bunkering barges from the extension jetty is upheld.

Summer is here and along with the good weather is a resurgence of noxious smells from bunkering activity. This has resulted in a number of complaints received by the ESG. It is important that the public knows that Minister Joe Holliday has advised the ESG of a 24 hour hotline number 79028 to be called by the public to report all such incidents.

The ESG urges everyone to make a note of the number and to please call when affected by bunkering fumes and register the problem as it occurs to enable proper investigations to be done. Please continue to call or email the ESG who is also keeping records of such incidents.

Official hotline number: Bunkering Superintendent Tel: 79028

The recent report of the possible expansion in bunkering in Gibraltar is met with concern by the ESG. For nearly two years now the group has both publicly and directly in correspondence with Government, been making its concerns known over the impact that present levels of bunkering is having on air quality in Gibraltar especially in some residential and recreation areas.

In a matter of only a few years, local bunkering operations has mushroomed by 168% (according to Govt own statistics) creating an already highly congested Bay. Some of these operations regularly produce offensive fumes which could also be harmful to people. While Government has sought to reassure the ESG and the public about the harmless nature of the gases released during bunkering, the data asked for by the group has not yet been made available.

Given the impacts that are felt from bunkering it would seem that the Gibraltar Bunkering Code of Practice alone is not sufficient to provide best practice. The ESG has been asking Government to insist that operators apply best available technology and incorporate vapour recovery systems at key points of fuel transfer (on and off shore) to eliminate fugitive gases. It is understood that such technologies are already operational in countries where environmental matters are taken more seriously such as Norway, Holland and the USA.

Undoubtedly financial investment into these technologies would be required by the operators, which, incidentally, would also recover otherwise lost product and could be seen as an economic benefit. Given the planned expansion and increase in profits it would be timely for all operators to invest in such available technology eliminating air pollution from its practices. This would provide a safer and healthier environment for our children to grow up in too.

In light of the possibility of increased bunkering activity and the growing complaints received by the ESG, the group will be addressing the following issues at its first opportunity:-

– The existing overload on the environment
– The raising of the risk threshold with an ever more congested Bay
– The need for vapour recovery systems
– Containment of fugitive fumes at every stage of fuel transfer given the proximity to dwellings and to built up areas

Public letter to Minister Holliday
Wednesday 29th March 2006

Dear Sir,

The ESG and GONHS welcome your statement in the House last week on noxious smells from bunkering activity, acknowledging the problem that we and others in the community have been raising for some time. These “smells” contain hydrogen sulphide and benzene among other chemicals. Recent studies conclude that long term exposure to these chemicals even in low concentrations can cause serious health problems.

Your statement claimed that at all times emissions have been within the law. Could we have publication of the monitoring data which supports this statement for hydrogen sulphide in particular, given that our air monitoring station does not include this chemical as a pollutant?

This matter is of particular relevance given that on the 17th and 25th March the ESG received many complaints and reports of gas smells both in the South and town areas. The 25th was 3 days after your statement at the House whereby you claimed that measures had been set in place to sort the problem out and that you believed it was now resolved.

We reiterate our concerns that these fumes are potentially harmful and that your Government has to ensure that the best available technology is applied to control and minimise these from recurring.

Given the continuation of these noxious fumes affecting our residential areas, the ESG and GONHS ask the Minister: Are other preventative measures being considered?

Due to the public importance of this matter we are copying this letter to the media.

Sincerely,

Environmental Safety Group and the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society

The ESG wholeheartedly supports GONHS in its call for the bunkering operators to respond to the complaints made by the public of the fuel oil stench that has been invading certain areas of Gibraltar for close to a year.

The ESG considers that the huge volumes of fuel oil that are transhipped on a daily basis in Gibraltar (latest figures quoted of 4 million tonnes per year and growing) represent a serious potential health-risk to the population. Even if there is no spillage, the gases released during a bunkering operation include benzene (a known carcinogen which can trigger leukaemia) amongst other chemicals which cause irritation and disease.

The group believes that the government and the industry need to work together to ACTIVELY protect the public from any exposure to these harmful gases. The current ongoing situation, whereby residents across the whole western side of Gibraltar are sporadically “gassed” is totally unacceptable.

In its efforts to safeguard the health of residents, the ESG is launching a new “Clean bunkering” campaign which will involve:-

i) Consulting the management of all local bunkering companies and the relevant government ministers and officials (Port and Environment) to find and implement measures that will reduce the public health impact to an absolute minimum
ii) Taking air samples as necessary in response to complaints from the public
iii) Providing relevant facts and figures in order to raise public awareness of the gases released during bunkering and of their direct effect on health

The ESG hopes that a public demonstration will not be necessary but is prepared to organise this if the situation does not improve without further delay.