Reclaimed industrial area in Gibraltar Harbour, site of wartime sabotage.
Coaling Island is a reclaimed industrial area in Gibraltar Harbour, within the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It shelters Cormorant Camber for small boats and later hosted the Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club. During World War II, a Spanish worker ignited a fuel tank fire here in 1943.
Coaling Island is an area of reclaimed land forming one of the industrial zones at the western end of Gibraltar Harbour, in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The land reclamation created additional waterfront that now shelters Cormorant Camber, a harbour area used for berthing small boats. The Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club was located on Coaling Island after the Ministry of Defence Boat Squadron vacated the site, reflecting the shift from purely military use to mixed industrial and recreational maritime activity. During World War II, Coaling Island was the scene of a serious act of sabotage. On 30 June 1943 a Spaniard working in Gibraltar, José Martín Muñoz, caused an explosion and fire at a fuel tank on the island. Following this incident he came under close scrutiny, and in August he was arrested while attempting to place a bomb inside Ragged Staff Magazine. Muñoz was later hanged by Albert Pierrepoint. Coaling Island has also provided occasional wildlife sightings. In 2012 a Mediterranean monk seal was spotted on the jetty of a private boat owners club there. Overall, the site combines industrial functions, small‑boat facilities and yacht club activity within Gibraltar Harbour’s reclaimed shoreline.
