ibraltar’s coastline is changing — and Spain says it’s expanding into waters it doesn’t own.Credit: rhyslud from pixabay
Gibraltar is growing not just in terms of birds but also outward, as it reclaims land from the sea with its new Marina and its promising luxury housing project. Spain argues that the answer is simple, stating that Gibraltar has crossed the line both legally and environmentally. A formal complaint from Spanish prosecutors, backed by environmental watchdogs, along with reports from the Civil Guard, has been submitted. They accused Gibraltar of dumping thousands of tons of rock into those protected waters to build its new East Side development. This case is now interesting in the context of an international court, and with it, the question of who controls the waters around the Rock may finally be put to the test.
A luxury coastline or illegal expansion?
The controversy centres on Gibraltar’s ambitious internal project, a €390 million development that is transforming sea into land. The Vietnamese firm backing it is called TNG Global Foundation, and the plan includes:
- Around 1,300 luxury homes
- Hotel and marina for megayachts
- 400 moorings, commercial space
- Affordable homes, though critics say it is a PR trick
To make room for all of this, Gibraltar has reportedly reclaimed 10 hectares of land by using 50,000 tons of rock imported from Spain itself, and that’s where the tension actually begins.
Gibraltar is growing into the sea, and Spain isn’t happy.
Spain claims that the sea is in Gibraltar, prompting environmental groups to sound the alarm, as the project is damaging a protected marine zone that is home to rare wildlife and supports local fishing activities. Spain’s civil guard also backs that claim, along with prosecutors who are now pushing for legal action.
To make matters worse, Spanish scientists claim they’ve been blocked from studying the area and its surroundings, and the world is becoming increasingly murky both ecologically and legally.
- Spain argues that Gibraltar is expanding illegally into those protected waters and destroying marine life along the way, and following that expansion will destroy even further life surrounding that area.
- Gibraltar claims that it’s following International standards and urges Spain to settle the matter in court. Meanwhile, the cranes continue to move, the trucks continue to dump, and the coastline appears to be expanding.
Now that the complaint is in the hands of Spanish prosecutors, there’s also talk of taking it to the international tribunal, which means it’s something that has never been done over these waters.
If the proposal is approved, the case can finally decide once and for all who controls the sea around the rock.
