Camp de Morvedre coastline earns black flag over port construction damage
Environmental group Ecologistas en Acción has included the beaches of Puerto de Sagunto and Canet d'en Berenguer in its 2026 Black Flags report, blaming port works by the Valencia Port Authority for damaging the local coastline.
The Camp de Morvedre coast has returned to the annual Black Flags ranking published by Ecologistas en Acción, earning its first flag in three years. The environmental group's report targets the Valencia Port Authority — which also oversees the ports of Valencia and Gandía — over works it says are destroying Posidonia oceanica meadows near Sagunto's port. This seagrass is classified as a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive and shields beaches from erosion; as its coverage shrinks, shorelines become increasingly vulnerable to wave action.
The group identifies two specific failings: heightened water turbidity during the works, and construction that proceeded without an environmental impact assessment. Five coastal stretches are named as affected — Puerto de Sagunto, Almardà, Corinto, Canet d'en Berenguer and Puçol. Material transport to Valencia port is cited as an additional threat to protected species in the Natural Park of l'Albufera.
Ecologistas en Acción is calling for an immediate suspension of works and the launch of coastal restoration measures. In 2026 the group assigned 48 black flags across Spain — two per coastal province — of which six fell to the Valencian Community, according to elperiodicodeaqui.com.