Government port authority managing Gibraltar Harbour and British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.
The Gibraltar Port Authority is a government agency that develops and manages the Port of Gibraltar within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. Established in 1806, it is headquartered at North Mole, Gibraltar Harbour. Its core responsibilities include overseeing port operations, navigational safety, security, licensing, search and rescue, pollution control, and bunkering activities.
The Gibraltar Port Authority is a government agency responsible for developing and managing the Port of Gibraltar within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. It was established in 1806 and operates under Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar, with headquarters at North Mole, Gibraltar Harbour. Its main functions are to monitor and control all vessel movements in support of port operations and navigational safety, provide and monitor port security within restricted and controlled zones, license port operations, conduct search and rescue in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, and undertake pollution prevention and response. It also monitors and controls ship-to-ship and bunkering operations. Operational matters, including navigational safety and the smooth running of the port, are overseen by the Captain of the Port, who is also the Authority’s Chief Executive. Principal services at the port include bunkering, where fuel is delivered by bunker barge to anchored vessels in the Bay of Gibraltar or to ships alongside berths, and cruise liner calls. The Gibraltar Port Authority employs a high-specification Vessel Traffic Services system, supported by multiple radars and high-powered cameras positioned around the Rock of Gibraltar, to monitor surrounding waters continuously. The independent Gibraltar Port Authority was established in its current form by the Gibraltar Port Authority Act 2005, which transferred responsibilities from the Government of Gibraltar.
