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GOB has not received any response to the objections it submitted regarding two major nautical projects at the Port of Maó, nor has it received answers to its requests for access to information.
Plans to discharge desalination plant brine directly into the port, construction of new pontoons in natural areas, lack of environmental impact assessments, and overcrowding of nearby coves are among the concerns raised due to the high potential impact.
Project for the reorganisation of Sa Colàrsega
GOB submitted objections to the basic project that was made available for public consultation. The project envisages the installation of two desalination plants that would generate approximately 52.5 m³ of brine per day, planned to be discharged directly into the port. This practice could seriously affect local marine communities and is not accompanied by an environmental impact assessment.
The project also includes the dredging of 2,500 m³ of sediment, some of which contain high levels of heavy metals such as copper, mercury, lead, and tributyltin. The final destination of these materials and the control measures during extraction have not been clarified.
There is also concern about the increase in water surface occupation, estimated at over 2,000 m², without carrying out an ordinary environmental assessment as required by Balearic legislation.
For more information about the submitted objections, click here.
Tender for the north shore of the port
The tender for the management of moorings on the north shore of the Port of Maó allows for the potential addition of up to 250 new moorings, despite nautical carrying capacity studies indicating that Menorca’s coastline had already exceeded its capacity back in 2010.
This expansion could affect areas traditionally dedicated to shellfish farming and sensitive bay ecosystems that are still in good conservation status. Moreover, the project again proposes installing desalination plants without specifying the treatment of the generated brine, which would likely be discharged into the port, posing the aforementioned environmental risks.
For more information about the submitted objections, click here.
Unacceptable administrative silence
Despite the objections submitted, the port management authority has not responded. Nor has it answered the formal requests sent by GOB to access the final project documents for the tenders.
Such behaviour by the APB is particularly serious, considering it is a public authority that should guarantee transparency and public participation. It further reinforces concerns about the way these projects are being processed.
GOB reminds that this lack of transparency not only violates the right to environmental information but also endangers the preservation of the fragile coastal ecosystem of the Bay of Maó, a natural harbour that should not be treated like a modern breakwater.
