Main Port of Karpathos Island

The commercial and transportation needs of Karpathos Island are served by the main port which is located in Pigadia Bay. The continuous rise in tourism, in combination with the routing of larger ferries that connect Dodecanese and Crete with mainland Greece have made it essential to upgrade the existing port facilities which cannot cope with the new demands. Therefore, South Aegean Region contracted a consortium led by CNWAY the design of the necessary supplemental harbor works.

Along with the design of the port, South Aegean Region assigned to a member of above consortium the preparation of the respective environmental studies, in two phases: the Preliminary Determination of Environmental Impacts (PDEI) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

CNWAY, as a subcontractor, held the PDEI for the new works which belong to class A2, according to the new Environmental Legislation Frame (4014/2012). Its object was the presentation of all alternative designs, the examination and evaluation of their impacts in natural and human environment, the choice of the optimal design and finally, the determination of the special directions and subjects that have to be taken into account during the next phase (E.I.A) of the environmental study.

Study facts:

• As a part of the necessary research, it was noted that Pigadia village is not included among protected areas of the Natura2000 network
• Pigadia village is located in an archeological site which does not include the land area of the proposed works. However, the written opinion of the Organization of Underwater Antiquities was of great importance. It pointed out the possibility of the presence of maritime antiquities that are not visible due to the detection of ancient pottery during past underwater surveys. It also proposed that this matter should be dealt with before the next phase of the environmental study.
• The selected design has the smallest land area. This gives several important environmental advantages, among all alternatives, especially for the activities that are connected to the management and transfer of construction materials (depth changes, material supply, air pollutants and micro particle emissions, noise, constructions cost etc.). Furthermore, it is considered to be functioning more effectively considering the protection of the berths from the adverse weather conditions. This acts in a very positive way to the human environment too (use of the works, employment – income etc.)
• The most important subject that will be examined in next phase (EIA) are the quantification of air pollutants and waste, the extra loading of the water and electricity networks and the noise levels, during the construction and operation of the new port.