In the bustling heart of the Strait of Gibraltar stands the Port of Ceuta, a maritime gem embodying a legacy of excellence, sustainability, and innovation. Strategically positioned within the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, this port serves as a vital artery connecting continents and fostering global trade. With over 100,000 vessels navigating its waters annually, the port’s significance transcends mere geography, resonating as a beacon of maritime prowess and environmental stewardship.

Bunkering For More Than 100 Years

The Port of Ceuta has earned its reputation as a premier bunkering hub, offering a comprehensive range of services tailored to meet the diverse needs of maritime operators. Renowned for its tax-free bunkering and zero-duty advantages, the port presents a compelling financial proposition for vessels transiting between Europe and Africa. Its strategic location at the crossroads of global trade routes ensures convenient access for vessels navigating the busy shipping lanes of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Operational Efficiency and Swift Turnaround Times

Moreover, the port’s operational efficiency guarantees swift turnaround times, reducing downtime for vessels and enhancing overall productivity. Its state-of-the-art infrastructure, including dedicated berths, storage tanks, pipelines, and loading equipment, facilitates seamless fuel transfer operations round the clock. Trained personnel and robust safety protocols ensure smooth and secure bunkering operations, further solidifying the port’s reputation as a reliable and efficient bunkering destination.

Proactive Approach to Environmental Sustainability

Its commitment to environmental sustainability is further underscored by the provision of low-sulfur fuels, demonstrating a proactive approach towards reducing emissions and mitigating environmental impact. The port’s dedication to upholding the highest standards of environmental management is evident through its ISO 14001 certification. Rigorous control measures, including risk assessment programs and monitoring protocols, ensure the integrity of fuel supplies and minimize environmental risks.

Strategic Alliances and Sustainability Initiatives:

The Port of Ceuta’s commitment to excellence extends beyond its bunkering operations, encompassing a holistic approach to environmental stewardship and sustainability. Through strategic alliances with esteemed industry associations like MedCruise and CLIA, the port fosters collaboration and innovation within the maritime community. Additionally, the port spearheads initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, optimizing energy consumption, and enhancing energy performance.

Additional Port Services

A comprehensive range of complementary port services awaits at the Port of Ceuta, ensuring the seamless operation and welfare of vessels and crew. From essential hull cleaning and inspections to facilitating crew changes and delivering vital documentation such as nautical charts, the port caters to diverse maritime needs. Additionally, it offers a spectrum of supplies including water and oil, along with repair services to address any maintenance requirements promptly. Ensuring the well-being of all involved, the port provides health services while conducting bunker surveys and facilitating waste removal in adherence to MARPOL regulations, reaffirming its commitment to environmental sustainability.

Lorena Carmona Rodríguez, Assistant Director at the Port Authority of Ceuta, highlighted: “Our port’s strategic location, paired with our unwavering dedication to excellence and sustainability, cements our status as the top choice for bunkering services. We prioritize efficiency and eco-friendly solutions, ensuring seamless operations for vessels in the bustling Strait.”

In recent years, the Port of Ceuta has witnessed a remarkable surge in marine fuel supply volumes, solidifying its position as a key player in the industry. Supplying a diverse array of vessels, including cargo ships, tankers, container vessels, cruise ships, and naval vessels, the port offers a wide range of marine fuels to meet the evolving needs of shipping operators. From heavy fuel oil (HFO) to marine gas oil (MGO) and low-sulfur fuels (VLSFO) and (LSMGO) compliant with international environmental regulations such as IMO 2020, the port caters to the specific requirements of each vessel.

In 2023, bunker fuel supply at the Port of Ceuta was significant, focusing on low-sulfur fuels and strict environmental rules. A total of 762,118 tons were supplied, with Ducar through Vilma Oil and Cepsa contributing 241,566 tons at the dock. This shows the port’s commitment to eco-friendly bunkering options. Most of the supply, including VLSFO, meets rigorous environmental regulations and IMO standards.

Efficient Bunker Operations with Mass Flow Meters on Barge Supplies

Bunker barge The SPABUNKER is back at the Port of Ceuta after a five-year break, fully equipped and ready for bunkering operations. With advanced technology like MFM mass meters (Mass Flow Meter), it promises top-notch service. Currently, at our Poniente dock, the vessel “LIDER BULUT” from Cartagena, under the flag of Cameroon, is supplying fuel by barge. It’s 142 meters long and has a Gross Tonnage (GT) of 15,224.

In summary, the Port of Ceuta shines as a leading maritime hub, combining strategic advantages, bunkering proficiency, and sustainability initiatives. Positioned as a gateway between continents, its commitment to efficiency and environmental responsibility ensures a bright future for global trade and cruise tourism.

The port of Ceuta has become the epicenter of an intriguing project aimed towards the future: the implementation of a 2,400-square-meter Digital Data Processing Center (Data Center). This center is intended to be a fundamental pillar for the strategic digital development of the Autonomous City of Ceuta.

This project aims to boost the city’s technological infrastructure by providing a space dedicated to the storage, processing, and management of data on a large scale. With a considerable surface area, the Data Center seeks to become a focal point for processing critical information, thus enhancing the economic and technological development of the region.

The strategic importance of this initiative lies in its ability to meet the growing demands for connectivity and data storage in an increasingly digitized world. Moreover, this center is poised to attract investment and foster innovation, potentially drawing in technology companies and creating specialized jobs in the digital field.

The choice of the port of Ceuta as the location for this initiative is not coincidental; its strategic position makes it an ideal enclave for the implementation of this technological infrastructure. This initiative not only signifies a qualitative leap in the city’s digital modernization but also has the potential for a significant impact on the economic and technological landscape of the region, positioning Ceuta as a benchmark on the digital map.

The President of the Port Authority of Ceuta during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Data Center.

The ship, belonging to the premium shipping company Azamara Cruises, will remain in our city until 2:00 p.m. It is a cruise ship with a length of 180 metres and a draft of 5.9 metres.

Around a thousand people, including tourists and crew members of different nationalities, will make tourist visits in Ceuta and its surroundings.

The Port Authority of Ceuta reports the arrival this Thursday, November 16th, 2023, of the ship ‘Azamara Onward’, which will be docked from 8:00 a.m. in the morning and will remain until 2:00 p.m. at the España Dock. The cruise comes from the port of Barcelona and will depart for Lisbon after spending a few hours in our city.

This cruise is the first to arrive in Ceuta belonging to the luxury shipping company “Azamara Cruises”. This visit shows that the port of Ceuta is also very attractive for luxury shipping companies, which look for different destinations that surprise even the most experienced cruise passengers. Specifically, this cruise takes on board passengers and crew of several nationalities and its arrival in Ceuta is the result of the hard work carried out by the Commercial and Marketing Department of the Port Authority of Ceuta with its presence in a great number of international congresses and sector events.

About 1,000 people on board between passengers and crew.

The ‘Azamara Onward’ ship has the capacity to accommodate approximately 650 tourists, most of them North American and European, and around 400 crew members of different nationalities who will carry out some of the usual tourist tours around Ceuta during the time they remain in the city. From 9:30 in the morning, tourists will get off the cruise, either independently, or to take the bus excursions organized by Tourist Services, which has the usual information point next to the pier.

Plaque exchange.

As usual, given that this is the first visit made by the cruise ship, a commemorative plaque will be presented to the captain of the cruise ship during a brief meeting on board.

With the arrival of this new call, which will be the last of the 16 we have received during 2023, the tourist health of the port is consolidated. Therefore, tourism has managed to reactivate despite the hard years of the pandemic that forced all activities to be suspended. It is also worth highlighting the positive result of the commercial efforts that the Port Authority has been carrying out together with Tourist Services of Ceuta, with our presence in international forums and our participation in associations for the promotion of these traffic, as well as the investments made in the Spain Dock to accommodate these ships and receive tourists who will transit through our city producing some economic benefits.

Finally, it is worth noting that, at the close of the 2023 season, the number of cruise calls in the port of Ceuta has increased by 69% compared to 2022. Likewise, the total number of passengers and crew grew by 77% (nearly 37,000 people visited Ceuta, compared to the same period last year) and 8 different shipping companies have visited us in the last 24 months.

The port of Ceuta, thanks to the joint work carried out by Servicios Turístiscos de Ceuta and the Port Authority of Ceuta during the first edition of FITUR Cruises, has been shortlisted for the second edition of the International Awards of the publication Cruceroadicto 2023, where Spanish-speaking cruise passengers choose their favorite shipping company, ship and port of the year. On this occasion, around 450 ports compete for this prestigious award.

According to the official page of the publication Cruceroadicto, since last October 2, 2023, cruise passengers have been participating in the international voting that will be open until the first half of January 2024. Once the voting is closed, the results will be shown the three most voted finalists in each category.

Furthermore, on Thursday, January 25, 2024, the winners will be announced at a proclamation event during the 2024 edition of FITUR Cruises within the international tourism fair FITUR Madrid, to which the Port Authority of Ceuta will attend together with Servicios Turísticos de Ceuta, the Autonomous City’s greatest exponent in this international fair and the entity that took the initiative last year and decided the presence of the destination and the port of Ceuta in the first edition of FITUR Cruises.

In the same line, the aforementioned publication states that, in order to ensure maximum objectivity and independence, the Cruceroadicto awards are developed jointly with We-iN, an experienced independent consulting firm, as a methodological and technological partner of the voting process to guarantee that cruise passengers choose the best in the cruise industry with the greatest guarantee of transparency throughout the process.

The official link to vote is the following:https://progresa.we-in.app/index.php/988719?lang=es

The cruise, which belongs to the cruise company Mystic Cruises, will be in Ceuta from 9am to 5pm. Its lenght is 126 metres and a draft of 4.7 metres.

Around 317 people between tourists and crew from different nationalities will visit the city and the surroundings.

The Port Authority of Ceuta reports the arrival this Saturday, September 16th of the ship ‘World Navigator’, which will be docked between 9 am and 5 pm at the España Pier (east side). The cruise will arrive in Ceuta from the port of Cádiz and will depart for the port of Málaga. This cruise is the first to arrive in Ceuta after the summer cruise season, so more visits are expected until the end of the year. It has 200 passengers on board, mostly of North American and European nationality, as well as 175 crew members.

The ‘World Navigator’ cruise ship, belonging to the shipping company Mystic Cruises, is 126 meters long and 4.7 meters deep. Its arrival in Ceuta, which the shipping company has included among the ports of call for its cruises, is the result of the hard work carried out by the Commercial and Marketing Department of the Port Authority of Ceuta with its presence in a significant number of international fairs and events.

About 317 people on board between passengers and crew

The ‘World Navigator’ ship has the capacity to accommodate approximately 200 tourists, most of them North American and European, and around 117 crew members of different nationalities, who will have the option to take some of the usual tourist tours around Ceuta. From 9 in the morning, tourists will be able to get off the cruise ship, either independently or to take the bus excursions organized by Tourist Services, which will have the usual information point next to the pier.

Exchange of a commemorative plaque

As usual, given that this is the first visit of this cruise ship, a commemorative plaque will be presented to the captain of the cruise ship.

With the arrival of this new cruise ship, the port of Ceuta is consolidated in this sector. It is also worth highlighting the positive result of the commercial efforts that the Port Authority has been carrying out together with Tourist Services of Ceuta, with presence in international forums and participation in associations for the promotion of these traffic, as well as the investments made in the Muelle España to accommodate these ships and receive their tourists who will transit through our city for the benefit of its tourism and economic sector.

‘Hebridean Sky’, a cruise belonging to the exclusive “Noble Caledonia” shipping company, is for the first time in Ceuta.

With nearly 200 people on board between North American and European cruise passengers, it is a boutique cruise ship and a luxury shipping company specialized in expedition cruises to unique destinations.

The ‘Hebridean Sky’ is a veteran of the seas that alternates the cold polar routes with the warm destinations typical of the Mediterranean ports. Its hull is equipped with special protection and reinforcement to deal with the ice that is usually present on the polar routes it carries out.

The Port of Ceuta receives today, 26th October. The ‘Hebridean Sky’ will arrive in Ceuta around 7:30 a.m. from the port of Malaga, departing for the port of Gibraltar at 12:00 p.m. The ship, belonging to the exclusive company Noble Caledonia, is for the first time in Ceuta, thanks to the work carried out by the Commercial and Marketing Office, together with Tourist Services of Ceuta in all the events of the cruise sector.

The ‘Hebridean Sky’, which has 4,200 GT, a length of 91 metres and a draught of 5.15 metres, carries approximately 200 people on board, of which 120 are cruise passengers from America and Europe and around 70 crew members from several countries.

It is a boutique cruise and a luxury shipping company that calls in places that are considered special for the clients, in a more private environment, far from the usual mega-cruises that are so popular in the sector. In this way, it can offer destinations not accessible to large ships, such as natural ports, adventure trips, as well as more special locations.

The cruise ship will berth at the Muelle España (east side) for approximately 5 hours. The passengers will be able to take, in collaboration with Ceuta Tourist Services, the different routes they have established both by bus and on foot to get to know the city. At 12:00 in the morning it will leave our port for Gibraltar.

Spanish companies Navantia, EOLOS Floating Lidar Solutions, and Alerion, together with the University of Seville, have completed pilot and demonstration tests of an unmanned vehicle platform paired with data acquisition systems and drone technology in the Port of Ceuta as part of a project developing a new solution for the inspection of offshore wind farm structures.

Navantia’s Unmanned Service Vehicle (USV) Vendaval, which has been operating in the Port of Ceuta since 2019, has been combined with advanced data acquisition systems operated by EOLOS, autonomous drone technology developed by the University of Seville, and a specialised industrial drone for wind turbine inspection provided by Alerion.

The tests, which are part of an exclusive agreement signed between Navantia and EOLOS in September 2021, have confirmed the proper operation and performance in real environment conditions of autonomous unmanned vessels working jointly and collaboratively with LiDAR and metoceanic sensors in combination with autonomous drones, according to a press release issued by EOLOS and Navantia on 24 January.

The cruise ship, which belongs to the shipping company “Phoenix Reisen”, with 300 passengers on board, will be in Ceuta this Sunday, 26th December, from 07:00am to 14:00pm.

Around 600 people, mostly Germans, including tourists and crew, will be able to do sightseeing in our city.

The Port Authority of Ceuta informs of the arrival this Sunday, December 26, of the cruise ship ‘Amadea’ which, consigned by the Pérez & Cia company, will be docked between 07:00 and 14:00 in Ceuta. The cruise ship will arrive in Ceuta from the port of Málaga and will depart for the port of Lisbon.

In the same line, this cruise is the fourth the Port of Ceuta has received this year since the calls were resumed, after more than 16 months. However, the Port Authority of Ceuta received three calls from the cruise ship ‘Clio’ on 28th September and on 10th and 18th October.

The ship ‘Amadea’, with 192.82 m length and 7.1 m draft,has already called in Ceuta in 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2019, as well as other ships of the same shipping company, Phoenix Reisen.

 

About 600 people on board between passengers and crew.

The ship ‘Amadea’ has 300 passengers on board, most of them from Germany and 280 crew members of several nationalities who will have the option to do sightseeing in our city of Ceuta and do shopping during the time they stay in Ceuta. Tourists will be able to get off the cruise independently, since there will be no bubble excursions. The must respect, at all times, current sanitary regulations. All passengers and crew are fully vaccinated (Covid passport).

The cruise ship ‘Amadea’ will go to the Port of Lisbon on the same day of departure from Ceuta. With the arrival of this cruise ship, good news is confirmed for the port, as the cruises continue to call in our port recovering the normal pace of this traffic. It is also the positive result of the commercial efforts the Port Authority has been carrying out together with the Tourist Services of Ceuta, with our presence in international forums as well as the investments carried out in our port to support this kind of tourism.

To watch this video, please touch the photo:

Two tankers have discharged very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) cargoes totalling 66,000 tonnes this month at the Port of Ceuta to be used for the local bunker market.

On 6 November, the 176-metre-long Bixbite unloaded 33,000 tonnes of VLSFO over the course of 72 hours.

The fuel oil was supplied to Vilma (23,000 tonnes) and Cepsa (10,000 tonnes) for storage in Ducar’s storage tanks at the port.

On Tuesday (23 November) the Sti Brigxtgon discharged another 33,000 tonne VLSFO cargo, also to Vilma (23,000 tonnes) and Cepsa (10,000 tonnes). The discharge process lasted until the early hours of Thursday (25 November).

The fuel will be supplied by barge to ships in the Port of Ceuta, both at berth and to vessels at anchor in the bay.

‘These operations, which during this month of November have meant the arrival of a greater quantity of product for supply to ships, is of great importance for Ceuta, since it is another step towards the consolidation of our city as a reference destination for the bunkering in the Strait,’ the Port of Ceuta said.

‘A strategy that the Port Authority continues to maintain to promote a stable line of business at a time of great difficulties for the maritime sector, caused mainly by the consequences derived from the COVID-19 pandemic.’

Source of information: BUNKERSPOT. 

https://www.bunkerspot.com/africa/54885-africa-port-of-ceuta-boosts-vlsfo-reserves