English

Montenegro’s oil search restrictive for fishermen

The activities on oil and gas research in the Montenegrin coast have started with the arrival of the research vessel “Polar Empress”, which is to start 3D seismic shooting of Montenegrin submarine area. This means fishing will be prohibited at an area of 1,200 km, including part of the Montenegrin territorial waters and part of the epicontinental shelf.

According to the Hydrocarbon Administration of Montenegro, 20% of the target surface will be in Montenegro’s territorial waters, while the rest will be encompassing the international waters. The survey will cover the blocks 4, 5, 9 and 10, for which the consortium Eni-Novatek obtained the concession for exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons.

With the help of sound and light cannons and special geo-microphones which are connected to ships with several kilometers long cables, it will be possible to establish with great precision if there are some profitable bearings of oil and gas for commercial use.

But not everyone is welcoming a potential oil boom in Montenegro. Civil activists, professional fishermen, NGOs and environmentalists fear oil activity might endanger marine flora and fauna.

Miloš Dašić, one of the Montenegrin representatives in sports fishing, said: “After this survey, whose consequences we are going to feel on our skin very soon, I don’t know what to expect. Our sea that we are all supposed to protect, now is being explored and we can’t do anything about it. What a disappointment. It seems that the fishermen, nature and its protection are not so important any more.”

Opponents to the government’s strategic orientation warn of the collision of this orientation with the previous one that aimed to decrease the use of fossil fuel. They also reminded of violation of constitutional provisions that define Montenegro as the country committed to environmental protection.

The delegation of the Government of Montenegro, consisting of Prime Minister Duško Marković, Minister of Economy, Dragica Sekulić and Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, Pavle Radulović, on Friday went to see the research ship “Polar Empress” and noted the project represented the beginning of a new era in industrial production.

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