New Gibraltar Yacht Reporting Rules Raise Security Concerns
A decision by the government of Gibraltar to implement changes to reporting procedures
for yachts arriving in Gibraltar has raised concerns about immigration controls
for people arriving by sea, the Gibraltar Chronicle reports.
Under the changes, the Port of Gibraltar's yacht reporting berth will close
and the responsibility for the checking of yachtsmens' passports and visas will
be transferred to the private firms which run Gibraltar's marina. These changes
were officially scheduled to enter into force this week, but have been underway
on a trial basis since November 1. According to the government, the changes are aimed at tightening security and
reducing bureaucracy for genuine visitors. “The intention of the government is to improve security for arriving
yachts, but at the same time to make the system a little less user unfriendly,”
Richard Garcia, chief executive of the Department of Trade, Industry and Telecommunications
explained. However, the move has attracted criticism, especially given current concerns
over terrorism, illegal immigration and drugs smuggling. “To take that responsibility away from a contracted entity and hand it
to a third party would appear to give the government less control over the exercise
of immigration checks," observed Joseph Garcia, leader of the Liberal party
and Opposition spokesman on maritime issues. Previously, the yacht berths were manned by staff from the port department,
with customs and immigration officers on hand if needed. Yachtsmen were also
required to fill in several forms for both the government officials and for
the marina. Under the new system, yachtsmen will complete a single form, with
the first point of contact with the piermasters - a change which concerns Dr
Garcia. “A piermaster is an employee of a commercial company who has presumably
been employed because of his skills in running a marina and not because of anything
else," he observed. “This creates a potential conflict of interests between receiving customers
and having to turn them away," he added. .
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