Walter Finch
A FRESH debate about the need for a pilot when departing Gibraltar’s congested waters has been sparked after a minor collision of two giant ships while manoeuvring in the bay.
The LNG carrier SM Kestrel made contact with the anchored bulk carrier Diamond Star II as it was attempting to exit the western anchorage around 1am on Monday.
Gibraltar authorities have confirmed that no injuries were reported, no pollution occurred, and neither vessel suffered significant damage.
Both ships remain at the anchorage as they undergo damage inspection and an investigation into how the ships, equipped with ‘state of the art vessel tracking technology’, bumped into one another.
Yet the incident comes shortly after the publication of a report into a collision that beached the LNG tanker Adam LNG off Catalan Bay in August 2022.
The OS35 collision report concluded that human error was to blame for the accident, which could have been avoided if the manoeuvre had been supervised by a pilot.
Currently, vessels departing Gibraltar’s waters are not required to have a pilot on board.
The government of Gibraltar has confirmed that the SM Kestrel did not have a pilot on board at the time of the incident.
The Environmental Safety Group (ESG) of Gibraltar called the collision an ‘urgent reminder’ for the Port Authority to implement the recommendations from the OS35 report without delay.
The 8km-wide Bay of Gibraltar is one of the most saturated shipping zones in the world, handling around 2,500 vessels of all sizes each year.
On one day last week the bay was home to 15 separate tankers and bulk carriers
Gibraltar has also welcome two holiday cruise liners, the Celebrity Apex and the Spirit of Adventure this week, as well as the nuclear submarine HMS Astute.
In a statement to the Olive Press, the government said: “The Gibraltar Port Authority is actively considering all of the options contained in that report, and […] looking at compulsory pilotage as a requirement for outbound vessels.
“This analysis will include the possible implementation of mandatory pilotage for departing vessels.”
It added that the issue will be addressed in a wider risk assessment report that will be started ‘at the earliest opportunity.’
