Conflicting location of the Chinese port project and free zone.

Chinese port involved in controversy in Montevideo

URUGUAY
Monday, January 21, 2019, 21:10 (GMT + 9)

Reproduction of the article which appeared in  Diálogo Chino:

More than 500 Chinese-flagged vessels could soon arrive in the west of Montevideo, Uruguay due to the already confirmed project of the Shandong BaoMa company to install a free zone with port, shipyard and fish processing and freezing plant.

The USD 200 million venture will be carried out in an area of 28 hectares in the area of Punta Yeguas, a mostly rural area with a public park, and could have serious consequences for the South Atlantic marine ecosystem, today threatened by overfishing and illegal fishing.

The property, already acquired by the Chinese company will have an 800 meters long pier, where ships of up to 50,000 tonnes can be moored, according to maps accessed by Diálogo Chino. Being a free zone, it would allow the vessels to operate without control of the Uruguayan government.

Maps to which Diálogo Chino had access show an 800-meter long dock, shipyard and fish processing and freezing plant (image: Fermín Koop)

"The Chinese boats are the most benefited of undeclared fishing in the South Atlantic. That's why we ask ourselves what guarantees this project gives us. It is one of the places with the greatest biodiversity on the planet and could be affected," said Rodrigo García, founder of the NGO Oceanosanos.

International fishing fleets, many illegal and unregistered, regularly visit the coast of Uruguay and Argentina in search of large populations of squid. That same animal is a key link in the food chains of marine ecosystems.

Squid fishing impacts not only that species but also other populations of fish, dolphins and albatrosses that are accidentally caught by fishing vessels. To that, the discharge of pollutants from ships and their environmental consequences is added. 

A place of risk

The port of Montevideo is the second largest in the world in receiving illegal fishing, according to reports from Oceana and Oceanosanos. In addition, according to data from the National Administration of Ports of Uruguay (ANP), since 2013 the discharge of a dead crew member per month from these vessels is recorded.

"We respect fishing, they are places of work for many. Any ship can enter the port of Montevideo, except for the crime," said Juan José Domínguez, vice president of the ANP. "It takes a world police to control what may be happening with fishing, we are only spectators."

The president of Shandong BaoMa, Jian Hongjun, presented the project in December in Montevideo together with representatives of the Uruguayan company CSI Ingenieros, his local partner. To move forward, they must change the zoning of the area, which must go from being considered rural to being a port.

The enterprise marked as "project" in Chinese (Image: Fermín Koop)

Based in China, Shandong BaoMa has around 4000 employees and specializes in different areas, most of them linked to the sea, such as fishing, fishmeal processing and port terminal management. In addition, it has ventured into infrastructure for mining operations.

Diálogo Chino communicated with both companies involved in the project in Uruguay and received no response.

"It's a coastal area that is not productive, the closest thing you have is an irregular settlement of people and small farms. The project will generate 300 jobs during the work and will further develop the area," said Gabriel Otero, mayor of Municipality A of Montevideo, area in which the project will be located.

The project will be located near Santa Catalina and Pajas Blancas neighborhoods and Punta Yeguas Public Park, an area of 113 hectares recovered by the Municipality of Montevideo for public use in 2006. It is frequently used for its beaches and recreational areas.

Rejection on the rise

Upon hearing about the project, the residents of the area decided to organize themselves to make their voices heard and prevent the work from progressing. They have requested meetings with various government bodies in Uruguay to obtain more information and highlight the social and environmental effects that the port could have in the area.

(Photo: FLorencia Lay)

To the concerns is added the impact that the port could have on artisanal fishermen in the area. Luis Soria, a neighbor and artisanal fisherman, warns that his activity has already been affected in recent years by illegal fishing and overfishing and that adding the port will hurt his work.

"We will not be able to fish more in the area. It will restrict navigation and we will not be able to approach. It is all loss for us, we are giving part of our sovereignty to a country that is on the other side of the world. It does not make sense, " he said.

Author: 

Fermín Koop is editor of Diáogo Chino for the Southern Cone

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

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