Eritrea's Coastal Marine and Island Biodiversity Conservation Project

The port of Assab which is relatively new compared to the port of Massawa with its separate break water and the seven berths on the north and south
jetties was built between 1957 and 1961 by Yugoslav contractor Pomgrad. It has long side berths with depths of up to 11m. Following the Eritrean
independence Assab continued to be the main port gateway for Ethiopia handling almost 90% of all Ethiopian exports and imports. Assab has gone
from a vibrant active port prior to 1998 to a port with virtually no traffic thus the environmental threat is minimal.
To increase the efficiency and capacity of the two ports a project that costs USD 57.6 has been launched. This project was focused on; extension of
berth pavement, dredging and drainage system for the port of Massawa; Procurement of Cargo handling equipment for Massawa and Assab ports
comprising of reach stackers, tug masters, trailers and mobile harbor crane; environmental components including equipments and facilities to improve
operational practices at the two ports, reception of liquid and solid wastes from ships, oil spill combating equipment and improving safety standards of
the two ports.
6.1.2. Threats from Maritime Routes, Harbours and associated settlements
For the coastal strip of the mainland and islands, the main threats are coming from the maritime transport, loading and unloading and from the
associated infrastructure and settlements.
The maritime access to Eritrea is linked to the international maritime route going from Bab El Mendab in the South of the Red Sea to the Suez Canal in
the North and to the East West connection between Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. With the growing number of boat moving on these routes, there
is a growing risk of ship accident. A major oil pollution will be an important issue for Eritrea, as the anti-pollution equipment is limited and the
national capacity not trained for such an event.
Harbours are subject to oil pollution from ships while anchoring, from different pollutions during operations (water or fuel supply, solid waste disposal,
loading-unloading, storage, transport by road) and from pollution related to the associated facilities (such as oil terminal, cement factory, shipyards,
fish processing plants) and nearby settlements hosting companies, warehouses and workers related to the harbours.
For the settlements, the two main sources of pollution are the cities of Massawa and Assab, but all coastal villages are subject to coastal pollution, as
there is no comprehensive system for liquid waste collection and treatment. One example of sewage water collection and treatment is the Massawa
Housing Complex treatment plant reusing the treated water for gardening, but this facility is facing technical and maintenance issues, in relation with
the variability of the load, linked to the change in the number of residents and the limited availability of water during the hot season.
State of the Coast Eritrea, 2006-2007 42