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Eritrea's Coastal Marine and Island Biodiversity Conservation Project

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The port of Assab which is relatively new compared to the port of Massawa with its separate break water <strong>and</strong> the seven berths on the north <strong>and</strong> south<br />

jetties was built between 1957 <strong>and</strong> 1961 by Yugoslav contractor Pomgrad. It has long side berths with depths of up to 11m. Following the Eritrean<br />

independence Assab continued to be the main port gateway for Ethiopia h<strong>and</strong>ling almost 90% of all Ethiopian exports <strong>and</strong> imports. Assab has gone<br />

from a vibrant active port prior to 1998 to a port with virtually no traffic thus the environmental threat is minimal.<br />

To increase the efficiency <strong>and</strong> capacity of the two ports a project that costs USD 57.6 has been launched. This project was focused on; extension of<br />

berth pavement, dredging <strong>and</strong> drainage system for the port of Massawa; Procurement of Cargo h<strong>and</strong>ling equipment for Massawa <strong>and</strong> Assab ports<br />

comprising of reach stackers, tug masters, trailers <strong>and</strong> mobile harbor crane; environmental components including equipments <strong>and</strong> facilities to improve<br />

operational practices at the two ports, reception of liquid <strong>and</strong> solid wastes from ships, oil spill combating equipment <strong>and</strong> improving safety st<strong>and</strong>ards of<br />

the two ports.<br />

6.1.2. Threats from Maritime Routes, Harbours <strong>and</strong> associated settlements<br />

For the coastal strip of the mainl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> isl<strong>and</strong>s, the main threats are coming from the maritime transport, loading <strong>and</strong> unloading <strong>and</strong> from the<br />

associated infrastructure <strong>and</strong> settlements.<br />

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<br />

the North <strong>and</strong> to the East West connection between Eritrea, Saudi Arabia <strong>and</strong> Yemen. With the growing number of boat moving on these routes, there<br />

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 <strong>and</strong> the<br />

national capacity not trained for such an event.<br />

Harbours are subject to oil pollution from ships while anchoring, from different pollutions during operations (water or fuel supply, solid waste disposal,<br />

loading-unloading, storage, transport by road) <strong>and</strong> from pollution related to the associated facilities (such as oil terminal, cement factory, shipyards,<br />

fish processing plants) <strong>and</strong> nearby settlements hosting companies, warehouses <strong>and</strong> workers related to the harbours.<br />

For the settlements, the two main sources of pollution are the cities of Massawa <strong>and</strong> Assab, but all coastal villages are subject to coastal pollution, as<br />

there is no comprehensive system for liquid waste collection <strong>and</strong> treatment. One example of sewage water collection <strong>and</strong> treatment is the Massawa<br />

Housing Complex treatment plant reusing the treated water for gardening, but this facility is facing technical <strong>and</strong> maintenance issues, in relation with<br />

the variability of the load, linked to the change in the number of residents <strong>and</strong> the limited availability of water during the hot season.<br />

State of the Coast Eritrea, 2006-2007 42

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