The Association of Sea Captains requested that the competent state institutions determine separate navigation zones and anchorages in the Bay of Kotorska, and analyze the hydrographic, oceanographic and meteorological conditions in that part of Boka Kotorska before the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs (former Ministry of Capital Investments - MKI) declares to the request of the management of the company Port of Kotor on the construction and installation of a new port infrastructure for mooring cruise ships.
The management of the Port of Kotor, related to the fulfillment of the conditions of the concession contract that the company has with the state for the use of the water area and coast in Kotor, intends to expand its infrastructure by installing an independent pylon-dolphin and a mooring buoy in the water area of the Bay of Kotor. These interventions are foreseen in the investment plan, which was the basis for the Port of Kotor to receive a priority concession from the state for the management of the port under the walls of the Old Town at the end of 2018.
One of the key projects foreseen in that plan is the construction of a mooring pylon in the sea, which will allow all ships to come to the port of Kotor and safely moor there, without restrictions due to the size or draft of the ship. It is planned to build a so-called mooring pylon-dolphin consisting of a concrete platform measuring 80x8x4 meters, supported on four steel pylons driven into the seabed. In addition, at position number 2 of the current anchorage of the port, in the water area in front of Dobrota, two large mooring buoys will be placed to which cruisers will be tied, instead of anchoring here as is the case so far. The authors of these solutions believe that it will significantly improve the level of safety of ships in the Port of Kotor, because even the largest cruisers will be able to dock next to the operational shore of Luža and rest their sterns on the pylon, i.e. that cruisers tied to buoys will not be exposed to the risk of so-called anchor plowing and uncontrolled drifting towards the coast in case of unfavorable weather conditions. Also, the authors of this project believe that such solutions will reduce the negative impact on the environment, as they will eliminate the need for reinforced ship machinery and dynamic maintenance of the ship's position by constant operation of its bow and stern side thrusters while the cruiser is at anchor.
The Association of Sea Captains stated that the MKI warned that the planned expansion of the infrastructural capacities of the Port of Kotor enables the stay of mega cruisers along the coast and at the anchorage, and that this significantly affects the safety of maritime navigation, i.e. significantly increases the risk of maritime accidents and pollution of the marine environment.
For these reasons, as well as for the technical condition of the Luža, we are against the possible expansion", this association pointed out.
As they added, they asked the MKI to inform them whether, in accordance with the Law on the Safety of Maritime Navigation, Art. 23, issued approval to the Port of Kotor for these possible works, that in order to issue the approval as a condition, a simulation of the departure and arrival maneuvers of mega cruisers and their stay along the quay and on the buoys should be carried out and a risk assessment should be carried out. They suggested that these jobs be done by experts from the Maritime Faculty.
The Board of Directors of the Association of Sea Captains had a meeting with representatives of the Port of Kotor and the Administration of Maritime Safety and Port Management of Montenegro (UPSUL) from Bar in connection with this issue. Then, they claim, it was concluded that the Port of Kotor requests approval for the planned expansion of its infrastructure from the MKI and that the agreement is that the Port of Kotor requests from the Maritime Faculty simulations of maneuvers for the entry and departure of cruise ships, as well as a risk assessment of the safety of navigation in the Bay of Kotor with the installed pylon and buoys for mooring.
Determine the anchoring prohibition zone in Boka Kotorska
The association also raised the issue of the waterway, anchorages, sea currents and wind rose in the waters of the Bay of Kotor, stressing that these are, among others, "the basic input parameters on the basis of which the safety of navigation is assessed, i.e. maneuvers of arrival and departure from the Port of Kotor and the stay of cruisers on anchorage.”
"We noted with regret that all these parameters are missing, that is, they are not available," the Association pointed out, stressing that they have turned to the Maritime Safety Administration with a request to "urgently mark the waterway and separate navigation schemes, and to determine anchorages and zones prohibited anchoring in the Bay of Kotorska, i.e. the Bay of Kotorska."
The association also asked the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology to determine the direction and intensity of local sea currents, the time and height of high and low water, and monitoring of sea level changes caused by sea changes and local wind rose in Boka Kotorska, i.e. Bay of Kotorska.
"All these actions and data should be taken into account before making the decision of the MKI on whether to issue approval for the expansion of the port infrastructure or not," emphasizes the association of captains.mi
They concluded that all these data should be available to all maritime authorities, navigators, as well as interested maritime business entities "in order to create their sustainable development policies as well as the general public."
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