Damage assessment after storm in Port of Bar not yet completed, expert examinations ongoing

(Patria) - The damage assessment caused by the storm in the Port of Bar after the storm that hit the Montenegrin coast on July 2 has not yet been completed.

The Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Bar told Primorski portal that it is a very complex case and that expert examinations are still ongoing. Whether and where the human factor failed is being determined.

“The Prosecutor's Office has ordered a mechanical engineer expert to prepare a report and opinion. It has also been ordered to determine the value of the damage incurred in the Port of Bar,” the ODT Bar told Primorski portal.

As that media outlet writes, while it takes experts more than a month to assess the damage in the Port of Bar, it took government experts only two days to “sum up” the damage to a total of around 35 million euros, which is more than half of the estimated total value of this state-owned company from 2019.

They remind that according to the assessment made at the time, the company's total assets were 77 million euros, and fixed assets were 64.7 million euros.

The public has not been informed about the basis for reaching the sum of around 35 million euros in the last 30 days or so.

Namely, in the Information adopted at the Government session on July 4, according to preliminary information announced to the public two days after the storm, the damage incurred in the Port of Bar was estimated at around 35 million euros.

The Information states that three Cereti e Tanfani transshipment bridges, each with a capacity of 12 tons, were destroyed, whose “structures are completely degraded and now have no use value”.

A grain loading tower with a capacity of 300 t/h was destroyed, its structure also “completely degraded”, hoppers for dry bulk cargo were damaged (high degree of damage) used in the transshipment of dry bulk cargo, and a conveyor belt for grain used for transporting grain from ship to silo was damaged, and a material handler used for transshipment operations was damaged.

“In addition to listing the direct negative consequences due to the damage caused by the storm, it is emphasized that it is evident that 'Luka Bar' cannot overcome the situation with its own resources, so the help of the Government of Montenegro is necessary through appropriate forms of financing urgent procurements and by enabling the simplification of administrative procedures in order to carry out everything necessary in the shortest possible time,” the Information stated.

Luka Bar announced to the public that the three transshipment bridges destroyed by the storm date back to 1977. However, information on when these cranes and hoists were inspected, as required by law, was missing.

Primorski portal wrote that a Risk Assessment Act is being prepared, which has not been done for a long time at Luka Bar, and which will prescribe better worker protection and modernize some procedures. Also, the public has not been informed whether the Risk Assessment Act has been completed.

Otherwise, port and transport operations belong to danger zone 1. Working on cranes in adverse weather conditions increases the risks to workers' lives.