MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Gibraltar announces discount on passenger dues to attract more cruise vessels
In a bid to attract more cruise ships to Gibraltar, the Minister for the Port, Neil Costa, has announced changes to the Port Rules, which regulate the amount of discount on passenger dues. The amendment allows ‘repositioning’ calls from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean or vice-versa to benefit from a 100% markdown on passenger dues. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesHow will Spain block this?
Feb 26th, 2014 - 07:25 am - Link - Report abuse 0Not easily I guess. Hard to block that income stream.
Band-aid for the chainsaw wound that is the border.
Feb 26th, 2014 - 12:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Be happy to “cruise” to Gibraltar if my money is used to refuse spaniards permission to cross the border. Let spain pay for its own instead of leeching off Gibraltar. I would require all Gibraltar businesses to sack all spaniards and then refuse permission for them to cross the border for ANY reason. Workers from Morocco. Easily done.
Feb 26th, 2014 - 12:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Workers from Morocco. Easily done.
Feb 26th, 2014 - 01:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0How so ?
Do tell.
Pretty please.
Ferries? Only 30 mins away. Quicker than crossing the border by foot when the Guardia prefer harassing workers to actually doing a proper job.
Feb 26th, 2014 - 02:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Crossing Spanish waters.
Feb 26th, 2014 - 03:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Not Spanish/English speaking.
Cost is unfeasible.
Ferry schedule not frequent enough.
the key question is who the f*ck wants to go to gibraltar?
Feb 26th, 2014 - 03:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0and to do what?
to watch a rock with a bunch of stinky monkeys / llanitos?
it must be the 2nd most boring site on the planet after malvinas falklands.
@ 7 paulcedron
Feb 26th, 2014 - 08:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Go on, I will reply to you so you can clock up another argie arsewipe or two from La Camping It Up.
If Gib and the Falklands are as you say, WHY do you get so het up about it?
Posting on here must be heaven for somebody that is used to pushing a wheelbarrow around what is laughing called an argie “building” site.
BTW, ANOTHER building fell down in BsAs again I see in Clarin, or would that be a lie? Captain Dismal came “on stage” to announce all the dead and injured were under the rubble. Cutting standards again is rumoured but I would have thought that par for the course looking at what has happened since I came to Uruguay almost three years ago now and begun seeing the dreadful state of the “construction”.
@Paulcedron
Feb 26th, 2014 - 08:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Aaah and yet Spain wants Gibraltar and Argentina wants the Falklands. What does that say about Spain and Argentina?
@Vestige
“Crossing Spanish waters.”
No problem. It's called INNOCENT PASSAGE. Spain can't stop it. Educate yourself.
“Not Spanish/English speaking.”
Speaking Spanish is unimportant. However plenty of Moroccans spoke English to me when I backpacked through Morocco. A non-issue. They will learn. Llanito might evolve further with many new words.
“Cost is unfeasible.”
Totally unfounded claim. What cost? Wage costs in Morocco are lower than Spain so they have a labour arbitrage advantage to Spain.
“Ferry schedule not frequent enough.”
Really! PMSL. I think the Gibraltan government is rich enough to buy a ferry or two.
Im surprised the mighty Spain, has not joined the mighty Argentina,
Feb 26th, 2014 - 08:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0and threatening to fine all ships that stop in at Gibraltar,..
#6
Feb 26th, 2014 - 11:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Crossing Spanish waters. Do Spain have the territorial rights to the waters between Spain and Morocco ? When did this happen ?
Remember, when the border was closed previously. Gibraltar had successful ferry links with Morocco and could do so again. The only losers were Spain
The sea journey is just about the same as the channel crossing ...hardly an onerous trip.
#7
I suppose it must be boring compared with docking in B.A. No smell of burning tyres, no groups of thugs and pick pockets waiting to do you over..etc.
the problem with those tiny, isolated places with no natural attraction is they don´t have anything to offer, so after 1 hour, all you want is to run away from there.
Feb 26th, 2014 - 11:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0but you can´t.
you have to wait for the freaking ship to sail again.
that´s why promoting tourism in gibraltar or the falklands is a scam.
Well as you can't afford to travel to either of those places Paulcedron, it is a moot point for you.
Feb 27th, 2014 - 12:52 am - Link - Report abuse 013
Feb 27th, 2014 - 01:03 am - Link - Report abuse 0lol. says an islander with just 1 flight per week.
the only good thing gibraltar does have, is the mediterraneo.
and they were very effective in contaminating it with those f*cking floating gas stations.
so, visit the place before talking nonsense, you imbecile.
Paulcedron
Feb 27th, 2014 - 06:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0I'm Australian numbnuts. You know, that big rich country across the Pacific. Think of it as what Argentina could have been but never was. Thank God we never had Peronism and we are way too smart to fall for Kirchnerism. Hence we are rich.... and stable..... and our best days aren't behind us, but still in front.
As for 1 flight per week. So what? I am sure you'll make a valid point one day but doesn't seem to be today. A poor Argentinean who can only dream of travelling.
Even with all the negative points you vainly try to make, every Islander is still better off than you.
Your own government only ALLOWS one single flight through your airspace per week. However there are also 2 flights per week from the UK.
So that is 3 flights per week. How did you put it? Oh that's right... YOU IMBECILE.
That's a ratio of 1 flight per week per 1,000 residents.
Argentina would have to receive 5,800 flights PER DAY to have the same ratio.
As for visiting a place. I loved Gibraltar when I visited. And Spain. And Morocco. I know I'll love Argentina when I visit. And the Falkland Islands. Haha and Argentina can't even stop me visiting the Islands either.
#12
Feb 27th, 2014 - 10:13 am - Link - Report abuse 0“ isolated places with no natural attraction” .
In Gibraltar, there is an effing big rock full of historical significance !!!
Do you know anything about cruise ships ? They dock,usually for a day.
The passengers disembark and are free to either wander round OR get bussed to tourist attractions, buy some souvenirs and then go back to the ship for their evening meal. Gibraltar has duty free facilities and historic sites which are attractive to tourists. Also, like the Falklands, it has a stable currency and is SAFE to wander about in.
9. Anglo
Feb 27th, 2014 - 01:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 011. Clyde.
So .... literally thousands by sea each morning then ?? lololol
That'll be some queue for the 08:00 sailing.
Get there for 06:00, back home by 20:00.
Anyhoo .... Ceuta -> Spanish coast ~10nm.
Convention on territorial waters ~12nm.
Tangiers happens to be on the wrong side.
Tetouan, Martil .... long loop around Spanish waters, no ferry port.
Anglo.
Coast guard ... ever heard of it ? drugs stops ... ever heard of them.
This is Morocco you're talking about, so more than enough reason to search a vessel coming from a stoners paradise.
Try contesting that at a court.
And a big vessel naturally takes a long time.
Staff late = shop doesn't open. Cant have an economy with that even once a quarter.
Yes people sailed during the border closure - thats not the same as commuting each morning.
Tell me how much you you expect a Moroccan to work for if he's buying 5/6 ferry tickets every week.
What kind of dent will that leave in operating expenses.
5 x .... oh say just £20.... x 52 .... x thousands = oh yeah...massive loss.
So good luck finding literally thousands of suitable English speaking workers, moving them in their thousands every morning and evening, and paying them enough to cover 10+ crossings per week+min EU wage.
Of course this is given no coast guard problems, or natural malfunctions (late sailings do occur in your dream worlds right ??) causing an entire national workday to be lost.
saaaryy ..... Gibraltar is DEPENDENT on Spanish workers.
Haw Haw Haw ... the buffoooooons.
@ 17 No Vestige of a brain
Feb 27th, 2014 - 04:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Gibraltar is DEPENDENT on Spanish workers.”
I think you should ask the Spaniards about that.
Why are they and their Union pushing the Muppets in Madrid to piss off and leave them alone?
18 - Tell me how Gibraltar would function without Spanish workers.
Feb 27th, 2014 - 04:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I put it to you good sah that Gibraltar is dependent on Spain.
19
Feb 27th, 2014 - 05:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“I put it to you good sah that Gibraltar is dependent on Spain.”
agree. gibraltar is just a parasite territory.
#18/19
Feb 27th, 2014 - 06:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0What vital jobs do Spanish workers do ? Street cleaning , dish washing, toilet attendants, shop assistants ? ?
If I remember correctly, many Moroccans stayed there during the week and went back at the weekends.
So what you are saying is that Spain would close the Straits of Gibraltar to sea traffic from Morocco to Gibraltar ? I think the UK would do something physical
about that...tantamount to a blockade which could be construed as an Act of War. Do you really think Spain would try that ?
“Parasites” have a track record of destroying their hosts.
As a pair of Argie syphocants you would urge them on from the side lines as you would not have to bear the consequences of the action.
21
Feb 27th, 2014 - 06:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Gibraltar cannot accommodate thousands of workers staying there during the week...
I still think investment in offshore floating accommodation could be the answer...
21 - Yep, you'll never find a brit doing those jobs, not in Barcelona or Malaga or Ibiza...never happens.
Feb 27th, 2014 - 07:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Anyway without going into the issue of job snobbery, someone has to clean Gibraltars streets, wash the dishes and toilets.
If you want thousands of Moroccans to stay you better get building accommodation and maybe even ....a mosque .... hmmm. But hey, 21st century and that. Call to prayer aint no problem in Gibraltar.
Searching a vessel from another continent as it passes through your waters is not a blockade. You'll just have to accept it. Dependent.
As for the physical aspect ... dont be silly ... there'd be no Gibraltar left.
1 hour later - Just a cavalry car park.
22 - not a hope of floating accommodation for that number.
But anyway in this dream can they leave the ship outside of work hours to freely mix locally and share their culture, these thousands of new Moroccan locals giving Gibraltar a distinctly Moroccan feel and culture ??
.... or is this a giant prison vessel ??
Spains economic crisis will end, stranger things have happened
For you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1GiYzsjOlU
23
Feb 27th, 2014 - 08:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Why on earth would they employ Moroccans if there was offshore accommodation...they could employ Brits or Spanish or anyone....
When you say not a hope...where there is a will.........and no alternative...
Two possibly three Cruise liners should do it.....
OMG...now there's 40 thousand Brits.....
Indeed ... 40 thousand instead of 30 thousand.
Feb 28th, 2014 - 01:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0So naturally you'll be updating the infrastructure of one of the most crowded places on earth to accommodate 133% of present pop.
Given the present workforce is 15,000 it'll be ~150% of present tax for them every week/month of preparation before its up and running.
Gigantic cost aside, How long would it take to prep the place for 10,000 new people.
Energy generators, fuel storage facilities, goods storage, public amenities, legal and administrative buildings, trained staff for all these projects and on and on.
Lets be extra nice and say within 1 year with very fast planning permission and training you can build an additional 1/3 of present public infrastructure for these presumably childless workers.
(school places)
This is without the issue of rapid wage inflation. realistically you're looking at a decade long project if you dont want to be paying £40 for a barbershop haircut within 3 months)
You could possibly house 10,000 on board a cruiser/cruisers.
The cruiser 'allure of the seas' for ex, costs 1.2 billion for ~7500 incl crew.
Does Gibraltar, with a present workforce of maybe 15,000, have... lets be conservative and say ... oh 900 million to spare.
And thats just the initial outlay. Maintenance and operation I can imagine would be very expensive.
Lighting ?? Policing ?? Medical ?? Waste disposal ?? Parts ?? Insurance ??
....of this floating housing project of 10,000 people.
Lets hope low end workers taxes can cover that.
Replacement dish washers and street sweepers you're importing right?
Very rough conservative guess - Additional £250 (present day value) from each and every worker in Gibraltar - every single month for 30 years.
Thats of course if it was possible ... which for a country of that size it isn't.
One reason being the implementation period between a sudden lack of Spanish labor and its replacement is simply far far far too long. :)
Might cause a strike if not kept secret.
Vestige
Feb 28th, 2014 - 06:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0You are on a merry-go-round. This has been hashed over time and time again.
So what if Gibraltar is dependent on Spanish workers. It is those workers that are inconvenienced by the border crossing.
Spain closed the border before and Gibraltar survived. It will survive having its source of poor and uneducated foreign labours strangled.
It will reform. It will change. And it will grow again. There may be a terrible recession, but it won't last as long as the rwcent 5 year recession that has decimated Spain.
And it STILL won't be part of Spain.
If Spain's goal is to damage Gibraltar's economy. Then for a while it will. But Gibraltar's economy is flexible and not statist so it will evolve.
If Spain's goal is to gain Gibraltar, then it will fail.
RING INSPECTION
Feb 28th, 2014 - 10:09 am - Link - Report abuse 0Now the “leaving the Union” page is closed I thought this might relate to travellers: in this case going from London to Scotland.
Enjoy! There are subtitles for those of us who can’t speak the language!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/dYslhL71k1M?rel=0
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