Bay of Gibraltar

The Bay of Gibraltar (also known as Gibraltar Bay or more rarely Bay of Algeciras, direct translation of Spanish "Bahía de Algeciras", the usual name in Spain) is a bay at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. It is around 10 km long by 8 km wide, covering an area of some 75 square kilometres, with a depth of up to 400 m in the centre of the bay. It opens to the south into the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea.

The shoreline is densely settled. From west to east, the shore is divided between the Spanish municipalities of Algeciras, Los Barrios, San Roque, La Línea de la Concepción and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The larger part of the shoreline is Spanish territory, with part of the eastern half of the bay claimed by Gibraltar. [ [http://www.gibnet.com/fish/waters.htm Gibraltar Territorial Waters] ]

The east and west entrances to the bay are marked respectively by the lighthouses of Europa Point in Gibraltar and Punta Carnero to the west of Algeciras.

Ecology

The bay is a breeding area for several dolphin species, notably the Common Dolphin, Striped Dolphin and Bottlenose Dolphin, and is also visited by migratory whales. It is a popular destination for tourist whale-watching trips from Algeciras or Gibraltar.

The other major draw for tourists is scuba diving: the area is rich with wrecks and historical artifacts such as crashed Avro Shackleton aircraft and Sherman tanks from the Second World War, and ancient anchors from Phoenician and Roman ships.

Industrialisation

The area around the bay is heavily industrialised with extensive petrochemical installations near San Roque (such as the CEPSA oil refinery and Acerinox stainless steel manufacturing plant) and working ports in both Algeciras and Gibraltar. The bay's waters are used by a considerable number of large and medium sized ships, notably oil tankers and freighters. Oil bunkering activities are also heavily carried out.

Pollution

Due to all these facts and the heavy industries along the shoreline, airborne and marine pollution are serious problems in the area. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the risks of oil spills and other types of pollution, particularly in the light of the bay's ecological importance. In May 1998, an accident at the Acerinox plant in Los Barrios, caused the release of a radioactive cloud. The radiation was not detected on site, but was eventually detected in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. The radioactive levels measured were up to 1000 times higher than normal. [ [http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/495/4895.html Acerinox accident - Cesium-137 contamination in Europe] ]

History

The area around the Bay of Gibraltar has been inhabited for millennia and the bay itself has been used by merchant shipping for at least 3,000 years. The Phoenicians are believed to have had a settlement near Gibraltar and the Romans established the town of "Portus Alba" ("White Port") on the site of modern Algeciras. Later peoples, notably the Moors and the Spanish, also established settlements on the shoreline during the Middle Ages and early modern period, including the heavily fortified and highly strategic port at Gibraltar, which fell to England in 1704.

The bay's strategic position at the mouth of the Mediterranean has made it a much-contested body of water over the centuries. It has been the site of several major sea battles, notably the Battle of Gibraltar (1607) and the Battle of Algeciras Bay (1801). During the Second World War, Italy launched human torpedoes from Algeciras on several occasions in attempts to sink British ships moored in the Gibraltar harbour, with mixed success due to the work of Commander Crabbe.

More recently, there has been (and remains) a persistent dispute between Spain and Gibraltar over British sovereignty in the Bay of Gibraltar. Spain claims not to recognise British sovereignty in the area save for a small portion around the Port of Gibraltar, but the UK has asserts a normal 3 nautical mile limit around Gibraltar, with a demarcation in the middle of the bay. This has caused tensions between the two sides, especially over the issue of Spanish fishermen operating in alleged Gibraltar territorial waters. [ [http://www.hydrographicsociety.org/Articles/journal/2000/95-2.htm Gerry O'Reilly, "Gibraltar: Sovereignty Disputes and Territorial Waters", in "The Hydrographic Journal" No 95, January 2000] ] Both have signed, and are bound, by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which specifies territorial waters. [ [http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm UN Law of the Seas website] ] After the arrest of a Spanish fishing vessel by the Royal Gibraltar Police in 1998, the problem largely subsided, although the operation of Odyssey Marine Exploration in the area is currently being contested in the Florida Court. [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2046348920080820 Peru joins in Spanish claim] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.olaje.com/Cartas/M52043s0%20-%20bay%20of%20gibraltar%20(15000).jpgHigh resolution navigational map of the Bay of Gibraltar]
* [http://www.apba.es/Mapa/mapa.htm Mapa Interactivo del Puerto Bahía de Algeciras] (in Spanish)
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/andresv/870973057/ Photo: Dolphins playing by the oil refinery]