Albanian Authorities Act Against Hazardous Waste Shipment
In a significant move to safeguard environmental health, Albanian authorities have intervened to prevent a ship suspected of transporting a substantial quantity of hazardous waste from docking at Tirana’s primary port. This action was prompted by a timely alert from a watchdog organization, which raised concerns about the nature of the cargo.
Following the alert, prosecutors issued an order to seize the containers and ensure they are stored in a location that is both environmentally and physically secure for ongoing monitoring. The vessel in question, the Turkish-flagged Moliva XA443A, has been detained approximately one mile off the coast of Durres, located 33 kilometers west of Albania’s capital, Tirana.
According to the Basel Action Network (BAN), an environmental non-governmental organization based in Seattle, the ship had been on authorities’ radar since August. The organization disclosed that a whistleblower provided information indicating that the ship carries “102 containers” suspected of holding “an estimated 2,100 total metric tonnes of waste pollution control filter dust originating from the steel industry.” This alarming revelation prompted alerts to several transit countries.
The massive shipment initially departed from Durres on July 4, aboard two vessels chartered by Maersk, with its intended destination set for Thailand. However, Thai authorities ultimately rejected the shipment, urging officials in Singapore to intervene and halt its progress. The Turkish-flagged vessel subsequently made stopovers in Portugal, Spain, and the Italian port of Gioia Tauro before making its way back to Albania after a lengthy three-month journey across multiple continents.
Local reports indicate that the customs documentation for the shipment classified the contents as iron oxide. In response to allegations from the Albanian opposition, which accused the government of complicity in the illegal trafficking of hazardous materials, Prime Minister Edi Rama addressed the Parliament in September. He asserted that the documentation for the shipment had been thoroughly verified.
Rama defended the shipment, arguing that iron oxide is “not considered toxic waste” according to the European catalogs that govern Albania’s environmental and customs regulations. This assertion comes in the context of a broader environmental challenge, as a UN report highlights that over 2 billion tonnes of industrial waste are generated globally each year. Environmental NGOs estimate that the lucrative industry of transporting such waste from developed nations to less developed countries is valued at between €44 billion and €70 billion annually.
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