WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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A ship with 30,000 tons of ammonium nitrate in the form of bulk cargo arrived yesterday morning from the Russian Federation and is currently in front of Bar, where it is at anchor near the "red buoy" awaiting the completion of the customs procedure. According to the contracted work with "Azotar" from Pancevo in Port Bar, transshipment and further transit of goods by truck and railway to Serbia should be organized.
According to Pobjeda, the job was contracted almost a month ago.
However, only after the entry of the cargo ship (bulk carrier) "Blu One" registered in Liberia, which 15 days ago left the port for St. Petersburg, unofficial information was confirmed that the nitrogen fertilizer in the form of bulk cargo, instead of via Albania, would still to find a new path to the Serbian, regional, and potentially European market - through Montenegro.
The transit is accompanied by risks that are linked in the public to the safety and environmental aspects of transshipment and transport of ammonium nitrate, a substance that, according to the classification, is considered highly oxidizing, and therefore dangerous, especially if it is stored inadequately, as was confirmed by the disaster in Beirut three years ago years.
All the inspection services we contacted answered that "someone else" has the authority for inspection supervision over the transshipment and transit of ammonium nitrate. Apart from the Administration of Revenue and Customs within the segment related to the foreseen customs procedures.
The Port of Bar, whose officials we contacted yesterday after the confirmation of the ship's arrival, informed us that they will answer our questions regarding all aspects of this business in the shortest possible time and in the prescribed procedure.
FROM ROSOS TO BAR
According to the data we obtained, the subject of transit is fertilizer with a 34.4 percent nitrogen content, which is produced by one of the Russian giants, the company "Minudobrenija JSC" from Rosoš in the Voronezh region.
The previous transit route for the product of the same brand, but for the needs of Novi Sad's "Promist", led from Albania, the Port of Durrës, and via trucks via Montenegro. This had the effect of raising a lot of dust around ammonium nitrate due to the unknown whether it was subject to EU restrictions, or whether economic sanctions were applied to Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine.
As Pobjeda was confirmed yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that department gave a positive opinion on the contracted work, i.e. an opinion was issued according to which the specific artificial fertilizer is not subject to EU restrictions.
It was stated that for the implementation of further procedures in relation to the transit of ammonium nitrate, the competent Administration of Revenue and Customs.
The Revenue and Customs Administration told us that until yesterday they did not have an official announcement about the arrival of the ship, but they confirmed that the nitrogen fertilizer transit work was initiated from the Port of Bar two weeks ago.
According to the spokesperson of the Revenue and Customs Administration, Radoj Mijušković, on July 11, at the request of the executive director of AD Luka Bar, a meeting was held "in connection with the possibility of unloading ammonium nitrate in direct manipulation of ship - truck/wagon".
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Bar Port, business entities operating in the Port, "Azotara" from Pancevo and the Revenue and Customs Administration.
The Port of Bar is directed to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism for an opinion. Until today, this administration has not received an official announcement about the arrival of the ship - Mijušković told Pobjeda yesterday.
He reminded that UPC applies international restrictive measures adopted by the Government of Montenegro and published in the "Official Gazette of Montenegro".
He added that from July 1, 2018 to July 27 of this year, there was no transit of ammonium nitrate through the Port of Bar, while he referred our newsroom to the officials of the Port of Bar and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for specific questions regarding transshipment.
When it comes to announcements for a planned customs procedure, for a recipient or sender from Russia, participants in the customs procedure are referred to the Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for restrictive measures, to obtain an opinion on whether a specific customs procedure is allowed for the goods in question. Especially due to the specificity of restrictive measures, frequent changes and additions, especially when it comes to lists of natural and legal persons, and the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the source of information because, as the proponents of those changes, they achieve international cooperation in that area, so they have timely and accurate information, which are necessary for the customs authority to carry out tasks within its competence - Mijušković said.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ECOLOGY
In past years, the Port of Bar was recognized as an important link in the transshipment and transit of copper concentrate, as well as other raw materials, including fruits and vegetables, cereals, and it also has a special sector for the storage of dangerous substances and explosives - the so-called B matter, which is located in in the silos on the other side of Volujica.
The Directorate for Emergency Situations, i.e. the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is responsible for the transport of Class 1 dangerous goods, i.e. explosives.
From that department, they indicated that, according to the Law on the Transportation of Hazardous Materials, inspection supervision for class 5.1 of hazardous materials, which, due to its specific characteristics, includes ammonium nitrate in the form of bulk cargo, belongs to the environmental and road traffic inspection.
Article 76 of the same law, in the fourth paragraph, provides that the environmental inspection has the authority to "temporarily prohibit the performance of certain actions in connection with the transportation (preparations for transportation, loading, transshipment and unloading) of dangerous substances, if the place for performing that action does not meet the prescribed conditions ".
The Directorate for Inspection Affairs claims, on the other hand, that their environmental inspection department has no authority.
The Directorate for Inspection Affairs - the Department for Environmental Inspection is aware of the planned activities in the territory of the Port of Bar, which relate to the transshipment of ammonium nitrate with 34.4 percent nitrogen and further transit by rail traffic - the environmental inspection stated.
They emphasize that transshipment of ammonium nitrate is not recognized as an activity in the Regulation on projects subject to environmental impact assessment, which was adopted on the basis of the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment.
Also, the Law on Chemicals, according to which the environmental inspection operates, defines that it does not apply to chemicals that are under customs control, in customs warehouses or free zones, for the purpose of re-export or transit if those chemicals are not processed or processed - they stated in the answers.
They pointed out that ammonium nitrate is a plant nutrient - a fertilizer, and that the Law on Plant Nutrients and the Rulebook on Storage and Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizers with a High Nitrogen Content more closely regulate the conditions for the sale of this product.
Inspection supervision over the application of this law is carried out by the Directorate for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs through the phytosanitary inspector.
As Pobjeda was told by the Directorate for Food Safety and Phytosanitary Affairs, given that nitrogen fertilizer is not intended for the domestic market (warehouses or agricultural pharmacies) or for import, but for transit, the Revenue and Customs Administration has direct jurisdiction.
And for potential ecological problems in Montenegro, the ecological inspection is responsible, whether bulk fertilizer, bulk laundry powder or anything in that form is transshipped - they are categorical from this administration.
POBJEDA
