Port of Ciutadella reopens to minor traffic

Port group approves exterior dock for the port of Ciutadella

Docked. Drawings of possible docks on the exterior of the port of Ciutadella

After a devastating tidal bore, the Island Council of Menorca and the Balearic Government held a joint meeting to discuss future port safety. Port infrastructure damage estimated at 130,000 euros

Tripp Miller.Maó

Entities related to the port of Ciutadella approved the Balearic Government´s proposal to build an exterior dock last week to help prevent future damage in the event of a tidal bore. The Island Council of Menorca´s proposal to build an interior canal was rejected.

On 20th June, after a series of devastating tidal bores in Ciutadella, the council and the Balearic Government held a joint meeting to discuss possible solutions to ensure future safety in the port of Ciutadella. The Balearic Government proposed four different dock designs, each capable of preventing damage during tidal bores up to 4.5 metres high. The dock, which will cost an estimated 46 million euros, will be 603, 506, 560 or 400 metres in length according to the proposed designs.

Mabel Cabrer, the vice president of Balearic Ports, reaffirmed the opinion of President Jaume Matas that commercial ships cannot be docked in the interior of the port because of the risk they pose in the event of a tidal bore.

With the new dock, commercial ships will be able to dock outside the port, reducing the risk of another disaster like that of 15th June.

Sergi Marí, the president of the Balearic Ecological Group, has expressed concern over the negative environmental effects of the dock proposal, calling the idea "stupid." Marí opined that the new dock will have the same problems as the last and with even fewer solutions. The president also said that the council´s idea was just as bad, citing the negative effects of moving so much earth. He suggests that the Balearic Government or the Island Council of Menorca conduct a study on ways to prevent future tidal bores, instead of using the phenomena as an excuse for other actions.

Port Reopens

The port of Ciutadella reopened to minor traffic Wednesday after the Meteorological Centre lifted the tidal bore warning.

The port will now be open to gondolas, fishing boats and recreational boats. However, it will remain closed to major commercial traffic.

Fishermen in the port of Ciutadella had been complaining about the port´s closure, saying that they had been working with tidal bores for years but that now they were unnecessarily prohibited from going out to fish.

Despite the port´s closure, some ten fishing boats went to work the morning before the port was reopened. The same happened on the Monday and Tuesday leading up to the port´s reopening. Port authorities have taken note of about 15 boats that ignored the closure of the port.

Scuba divers inspect damage

Divers completed their inspection of the damage to the sea walls in the port of Ciutadella Thursday, finding an estimated 130,000 euros in damage to public infrastructure.

Divers can now begin their task of cleaning up the port. They will be working only on weekends and within areas that will be roped off from port traffic.

Three million euros in port aid

The Balearic Government Council approved a line of aid Friday that will go to the people and businesses that suffered losses as a result of the 15th June tidal bore. An initial limit of three million euros has been set which may be increased, pending a final evaluation of the damages, according to government spokesman Joan Flaquer. The aid is intended to help re-establish port activity as soon as possible.

The Balearic Government declared a state of emergency in the port the day after the first tidal bore, since parts of the port suffered serious damage and the government was forced to close the port to commercial traffic. The state of emergency has given priority to the Housing and Transportation division of the Public Works Council´s job of repairing the damage. These jobs include refloating small boats and the rest of the sunken ships, relocating points of anchorage as well as docking points and repairing infrastructure.

Before the immediate necessity of resuming maritime transport, and with the final guarantee of port security, the Housing and Transportation division of the Public Works Council solicited the official emergency declaration from the Balearic Government.