Around 30 countries showing interest in bunkering, dry-dock, and LNG took part in the Gibraltar’s first Maritime Week. Gibraltar’s shareholders, the Gibraltar Port Authority, and the HM Government of Gibraltar gathered to promote all the services in the maritime sector of Gibraltar at an international level.
This major event came to highlight Gibraltar’s maritime legal, financial, and insurance expertise by calling into discussion the leading issues in the international shipping and maritime industries. The MGW promised to be a biannual event and it proved to be of extreme importance as Manuel Tirado, Captain of the Gibraltar Port claimed, “As it has been mentioned before, we are the number one port in the Mediterranean for bunker by volume, but we had to do a little bit more to ensure that we put the right message out in the international forum. […] We wanted to make sure that we showcase the rest of the services in Gibraltar.” [PETROSPOT]
One of the first speeches of the week was delivered at the University of Gibraltar by the Minister for the Port of Gibraltar, Hon. Gilbert Licudi QC MP. He made the announcement that starting with 2020, Gibraltar will become an international provider of maritime training as a Maritime Academy of Gibraltar is being established. According to Gilbert Licudi, “The student accommodation, which has just been completed, allows the University to welcome greater numbers of international students to Gibraltar. We have the institution, we have the accommodation, we have a thriving maritime industry and we have a Gibraltar Maritime Administration working with the MCA. It is the perfect combination for the provision of maritime training.” [Government of Gibraltar]
Participants were further delighted with a plethora of talks on exciting topics, such as the bunkering sector, the fast-growing industry of yachts and superyachts, LNG, etc. One of the sessions of the week was dedicated to the legal issues in shipping where the audience benefited from the legal advice of Gibraltar’s best trained key figures. The session’s opening remarks were delivered by Lesley Banks-Hughes, Director of Publishing at Petrospot. ISOLAS LLP’s partner, Christian Hernandez, was also present at the inaugural event.
Christian Hernandez is the President of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce and the field of admiralty and shipping law he is one of Gibraltar’s leading lawyers. ISOLAS’ representative, Christian Hernandez, contributed to the MWG 19 with A Comparative Analysis of Ship Arrest versus other Legal Options. He gave a real in-depth analysis of the market sharing his expertise and comparing the local jurisdiction on shipping arrests to other jurisdictions by providing appealing legal options in Gibraltar.
