Movement against violence
Rainbow Keepers movement
Socio-Ecological Union of Western Caucasus
PROTEST CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION OF AMMONIA
RELOADING TERMINAL ON TAMAN PENINSULA
<September 2, 2002>
PROTEST CAMPAIGN AGAINST the CONSTRUCTION of AMMONIA RELOADING TERMINAL on TAMAN PENINSULA
Environmental activists of Movement Against Violence, Rainbow Keepers Movement, Socio-Ecological Union of Western Caucasus together with local people and Cossacks of the Taman department of Kuban Cossack Voisko have started a protest campaign against the construction of ammonia terminal on Taman Peninsula (Krasnodar territory, Russia) on the 5th August, 2002. In case of realization of this large transport project health and well-being of Taman Peninsula population would be threatened. Besides, the construction of the terminal will certainly have irreversible consequences for unique ecosystems of the Black Sea Coast.
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROBLEM
The liquefied ammonia reloading terminal is worked out by the chemical corporation "Togliattiazot". The terminal and port is planned to be located at Zhelezny Rog, 2 km from the Volna village and 10 km from the Taman village away. The terminal is designed to pump about 2.2 million tons of liquefied ammonia annually. Six thousand tons of ammonia will be daily transported by railway and loaded into tankers through the pipeline in the open sea. Togliattiazot Corporation breaks the federal low, because the construction was started without authorization of the State Department for Fire Inspection, Committee for Custody, Renewal and Maintenance of Historical Memorials in Krasnodar territory, etc.
Taman Peninsula stands in zone of a high geological risk. The level of seismic activity on the peninsula is nine-mark. There are more than 70 mud volcanos there, most of which are active now. 44 volcanic eruptions took place for the last 13 years at the Taman Peninsula. Despite of it Togliattiazot Corporation has begun to build the storage for 100 thousand tons of ammonia on Zelenskaya hill, which can start to be seismic active at any moment.
The loading of tankers with ammonia is a high-risk operation, which should be performed in a closed bay protected from waves, hurricanes, sea currents, etc. The Zhelezny Rog port area is famous for its strong streams, which permanently change their speed and direction. It leads to formation of sudden whirlpools, vortexes, high waves, shoals and sand-banks. The weather conditions are in average 146 days a year unfavourable for fulfillment of loading operations.
At the present moment a branch line has been constructed to the coast. The top of the Zelenskaya hill has been cut down and several tens of kilometers of the pipeline have been already laid. The construction continues on the coast of the Sea.
Intensive sliding processes and lack of natural ground are typical for the coastal area near the planed terminal. The soil doesn't fit for such heavy constructions and railway. On 17th August , 2002 nine vans with breakstone were derailed and five of them turned near Volna village over. The part of railroad bank collapsed and rails broke down.
In fact the radius of area where people would die violently in case of an accident and flowing ammonia away are estimated as:
- at the coastal isothermal storage – 1,4 km;
- at the intermediate storage (Vyshesteblievskaya village) – 0,4 km;
- at the railway – 0.59 km;
- at the pipeline – 0.78 km.
The harm for health of average degree (partial loss of health) would be made in radius from 1.2 to 4.2 km. The hotel "Fakel", villages Volna, Taman and others could be under the impact of an occasional accident. The estimated time of ammonia transfer to these places is several minutes.
During the construction of the railway and the road to the coast 11 barrows and 2 antique settlements (the area of one of them is 2000 square metre) were destroied by tractors and trucks. The damage from demolition of cultural and historical memorials is estimated by Committee for Custody, Renewal and Maintenance of Historical Memorials as $100 million. Water area near Zhelezny Rog is one the most important places for fishing in the Black Sea. The construction offshore pier threatens existence of local fishing firm and will take away job for 250 fishermen.
There is an alternative way for economical development of this region. A great health-resort could be created here. There are not many coastal areas with such a great recreation potential on the south of Russia. Creating of new resorts could solve many essential problems of this region.
CHRONICLE OF CAMPAIGN
The protest campaign against ammonia terminal in Taman started on 10 August 2002 with a demonstration in front of the local office of Togliattiazot Corporation in Volna. Volna is a small village (about 300 inhabitants).Over 60 participators of demonstration signed up the declaration written during the demonstration. They demanded Togliattiazot to stop the construction of the ammonia terminal immediately. According to the declaration if this demand will not be satisfied in 7 days, they start to make more radical actions to stop the construction of the terminal. On 13 August the delegates of the campaign handed the declaration to the representatives of Togliattiazot Corporation. After the demonstration activists organized a protest camp against the construction of ammonia terminal near the village Volna.
Since the beginning of the campaign police has controlled activists as much as possible and arrested them suddenly for "identification" for some hours. This is a common practice in Russia to arrest people for identification, if police wants to arrest some people but doesn't have any reasons for it.
On 20th August the demonstration against construction of ammonia terminal was organized in Volna. The demonstration started with speeches and scaning slogans near office of the Togliattiazot Corporation. About 100 people took part in the demonstration. People kept in hands banners "We will live, it's our policy", "Perm, Taman, Moscow, Kharkov are against terminal", "We will win together!", "Don't pollute virgin Taman!". Local people and tourists wrote an open letter to President V. Putin and demanded to stop the construction. Then two activists blockaded the doors to the office Togliattiazot Corporation. The guards of the office and police tried to move activists from the doors violently. Several times they managed to do it for a little, but the blockade continued. As a result ten people were arrested and three of them were under the court. Three people were beaten during the conflict and Oleg Serebrennikov got the brain concussion. Blockade finished at 8 p.m. on 21th August. The workers of Togliattiazot Corporation office used a window to come in and out of the office.
On 22th August the Temryuk court adjudged two activists to 5 days and one activist to 3 days of restraint. Two activists kept the dry hunger strike for the time of restraint, one was released before the appointed time because of problem with health. On 24 August two activists spread leaflets on traditional celebrations of Cossacks in Taman but they were stopped by officers of Krasnodar department of Federal Security Service (ex-KGB). Then activists were conveyed to police department and were threatened with restraint for 40 days. They were explained that the leaflets could breed the disorder of Cossacks.
The next action is planed to be on the 3th September.
Contacts of campaign:
Headquarters in Taman:
Lermontov street 1, Taman, Temryuk district, Krasnodar territory, Russia
phone: +7(86148)31471
e-mail: dpnrk@e-mail.ru
Headquarters in Maykop:
phone: +7(87722)43652
e-mail: ies@hotbox.ru
Information by IES