The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the fishing port, which is planned to be built on the eastern part of Cape Đeran in Ulcinj. The harbor will be of mixed use, it will have space for fishing, tourist and recreational boats, a hall for storing and packing fish, it will open at least ten jobs, and it is planned in the area between Pinješ hill and Velika plaža, at the mouth of the Port Milena channel.
In 2018, Montenegro signed a loan agreement with the World Bank (WB) for the implementation of the MIDAS 2 project, which, among other things, planned activities for the potential construction of a fishing harbor (place of first landing of fish) in Ulcinj, Bar and Herceg Novi. The MIDAS 2 project (institutional development and strengthening of agriculture) is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.
The construction of fishing ports is one of the conditions for the country's entry into the European Union under Chapter 13 - Fisheries, which was opened at the intergovernmental conference in Brussels on June 30, 2016.
The EPA tasked the Ministry of Agriculture with implementing environmental protection measures during the construction of the port warehouse, especially against noise, protection of sea water, flora and fauna, land, air, waste management...
Capacity for 79 ships
It is planned that the port will receive 79 ships, of which 60 fishing boats and 19 tourist or recreational boats. According to the study, the maximum length of vessels that the port can accommodate will be up to 20 meters.
The area of the land part of the port will be almost 12 thousand square meters, of which almost a thousand square meters will be parking. The document states that the parking lot will have about 67 spaces and 60 cabinets for storing fishing equipment are also planned. The sea part will occupy a space of about 23 thousand square meters.
It is emphasized that the port is designed so that the basin and docks will be protected from waves, and the breakwaters will not significantly interfere with the transfer of sediment along the coast of Velika plaža. In the report, it is also written that fishing in Ulcinj is mostly done on Lake Šaš, the Bojana River, in the Port Milena channel and at sea. It is added that the caught fish is used for own needs, sold in markets, hotels and restaurants.
It is stated that the current annual catch is significantly below the maximum sustainable yield or allowed fishing, so the construction of the new port will enable further development of this sector. Although this will have a negative impact on the fish stock, it also says that regulated unloading will facilitate monitoring and reduce the likelihood of illegal fishing. This sector, as he writes, has significant development potential, but it will positively affect the standard of fishermen and income.
The plan is to improve environmental and social conditions through the development of a port that has infrastructure for sanitation, waste management, creates development opportunities and prevents pollution. This port will have a hall for storing, cleaning and packing fish and other marine organisms, but will not have a plant for their processing. Those activities during the construction and operation of the port generate waste water, so the construction of a waste water pre-treatment unit is planned, in order to reduce pollution.
"The issue of waste water management is of vital importance, because no proper treatment plant is in operation and this has direct consequences on the quality of sea water. No impacts on the water quality in the Solana Nature Park are expected, as the project is not expected to have a negative impact on the seawater quality at the pumping station in Solana," the report says.
Among the negative impacts expected during construction, increased noise, sea and air pollution stand out, but it is stated that these effects can be corrected. It is emphasized that there are no underwater sites of archaeological and cultural importance in this place, the fish hatchery will not be affected, and there are no aquaculture sites or cultural monuments nearby.
In the study, it is written that Cape Đeran is important because it is the only habitat of the sea crow bird in Montenegro, and that is on the cliffs in the sea a few hundred meters from the coast. It is stated that, apart from this, during the construction of the breakwater, the nests of the European cormorant should also be taken into account.
"Construction works on Cape Đeran could affect the only known habitat of the cormorant. However, there is no detailed data available on the habitats of the cormorant on the cape," the document states.
Without major impacts on biodiversity
Underwater research has established that there are no significant marine species at this location, so there will be no major negative impacts on biodiversity. It is claimed that typical Mediterranean species, four species of fish, two species of echinoderms and crustaceans, three species of molluscs and one mollusc have been found, and that none of them have been registered as protected.
It is pointed out that the construction would also affect the water quality in the Port Milena artificial channel, which drains water from the Ulcinj salt flat and the wider marshy area into the sea. The document says that water from the canal flows directly next to the project, but that waste is dumped into it and sewage from upstream houses and tourist facilities is discharged. It is added that a high concentration of "Escherichia coli" and "Coliform" bacteria of fecal origin was determined by water control at two locations, and that there will be more of them until the municipal problem of wastewater treatment and disposal is solved.
In addition, it is written that the current conditions in the area of the planned port have worsened, the mooring facilities are ruined, Port Milena is being polluted, the waste management system is deficient, access to roads is minimal, housing development is partly uncontrolled and there is economic disharmony. It is stated that the project has been discussed for twenty years and that the Municipality of Ulcinj still does not have a real port or marina, so some of the boats are left in Port Milena. It is emphasized that Ulcinj is the most underdeveloped of the six coastal municipalities, and its economy is largely dependent on the sea and marine resources. The life of the port is projected to be around 60 years.
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