Filenews 24 November 2022 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The creation of new port and land facilities to serve the aquaculture farmers in the area of Moni - Vasilikos is planned by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR), while the study for the construction of the project is coordinated by the Department of Public Works. The proposed port is located within the administrative boundaries of the community of Pentakomo, at a distance of about 3.6 km south of the community. To this end, a relevant Environmental Impact Assessment Study was prepared by the Consortium "Dion. Toumazis & Associates L.L.C. and Rogan & Associates S.A.". It is estimated that the whole infrastructure will cost around €35 million.
The main objective of the study is the construction of a port that includes all the necessary works, infrastructure and electromechanical systems to serve the aquaculture farmers in the best possible way, which will ensure the smooth and safe operation of all the necessary works throughout the year fully integrated into the natural environment.
The port will serve the needs of aquaculture farmers operating in the Vasilikos area and will include all the necessary services, infrastructure, facilities and equipment to ensure the rational operation of the port while ensuring the proper and safe service of aquaculture farmers, public officials and other users who will operate and / or visit the port throughout the year.
The port will be able to serve/dock at least 35 vessels related to aquaculture activity at the same time. According to the DFMD, aquaculture is an integral part of our national fisheries sector and is a very important export-oriented activity of the wider productive agricultural sector, while at the same time it contributes significantly to ensuring national food security. It is noted that the total production / marketing value of Cypriot aquaculture is the third most important export product in value from the wider agricultural sector of primary production with annual exports of €30 million. Aquaculture accounts for about 80% both in quantity and value of the total Cypriot fishery products production.
Aquaculture employs 350-400 people fully and creates hundreds of other jobs in similar occupations.
In Cyprus, aquaculture shows a growth of 5-6% per year and therefore, according to the DFMD, the smooth operation of aquaculture units must be ensured and the long-term viability and development perspective of this important sector must be maintained, while at the same time strengthening the resilience of the sector.
In the wider area of Vasilikos – Moni, seven of the nine licensed aquaculture units operating in Cyprus are located. These units represent 70%-75% of the total national aquaculture production and 50% of the total national fisheries production.
Through an overview of the area, areas of marine vegetation with Posidonia oceanica, sea caves and reefs were recorded. According to the Department of Fisheries, there is limited nesting on the Governor's Beach and that the project is not expected to negatively affect sea turtles, nor their nesting and nesting activity in the wider area, nor the Mediterranean monk seals that periodically use the caves.
The aquaculture units in this area several years ago used the port facilities of the port of Vasilikos and the port of Archirodon for the needs of mooring their vessels and similar activities that require port infrastructure, while for the repair and maintenance of fish cages they used the onshore area of the backfilling of the former chemical industries. Subsequently – and in view of the developments and the planned energy and non-energy developments in the Vasilikos area – the aquaculture units were forced to use only the port of Archirodon and the Zygi fishing shelter, which are not properly configured and not equipped to meet their real needs.
According to the project's designers, the main problem currently facing the units is the lack/ availability of the necessary and necessary port and land spaces to support their activities.
Due to the creation of the energy center and the other relevant facilities and developments planned in the area, aquaculture farmers can no longer use the port of Archirodon, nor the port of Vassiliko Cement Works. Also, the use of the fishing shelter in Zygi, which seems to be the next solution, is not feasible not only because of the long distance of the shelter from the aquaculture units, but mainly because this shelter does not have the appropriate port and land infrastructure required for the smooth operation of the fish farms, while at the same time, Significant safety and functionality issues are created in relation to the passage of service vessels through the area of the Energy Centre.
According to the researchers, taking into account the above, the creation of new infrastructure areas (port and land) is imperative for the future viability and rational operation of the aquaculture units of the Vasilikos area. This need was highlighted both during the ex-ante evaluation of the Operational Fisheries Programme 2007-2014, and has also been proposed in the context of the Vasilikos master plan.
It is emphasized that the use of the proposed development is exclusively for aquaculture companies. The port may not be used by fishing vessels, nor by pleasure craft, etc. It is understood that in cases of emergency the port will provide berthing to vessels in danger.
Pentakomo community protests
In the public consultation on the project that took place last August, the president of the community of Pentakomou, Charalambos Charalambous, referred to the community's objection to this project, explaining that what concerns them is whether the tourist area of Akti Governor's Beach and the development of the rest of the wider area will be affected. He expressed his deep concern whether this area would be industrialized as far as Agios Georgios Alamanos.
The coordinator of the contract from the Department of Public Works, Stelios Zervos, said that based on the model, the waters of the area will not be affected and that the development of the neighbouring area is a matter of Urban Planning. He brought as an example the port of Zygi and the intense development that has been observed in the neighbouring areas. For her part, the director of the TATHE, Marina Argyrou, pointed out in turn that the project does not affect the neighboring beaches and brought as an example apart from the port in Zygi and the port of Limassol, where the existing large tourist developments are adjacent.
INTERVENTION
The third most important exportable product
Aquaculture contributes to the local economy and at the same time enables consumers to eat cheap fish, mainly sea bream and sea bass. It is therefore imperative that people involved in this industry are given all the infrastructure they need to do their job easily. Undoubtedly, the aquaculture sector has great potential for Cyprus. In fact, aquaculture products are the third most important export product in value from the wider agricultural sector of primary production, after potatoes and citrus fruits, with exports ranging to €30 million. Annually. Since this growth is not only expected to be maintained, but to develop further in the coming years, measures are rightly taken to ensure the smooth operation of these units, enhancing their resilience and creating prospects for their further development.
