Albanian authorities have taken action to prevent a Turkish-flagged ship loaded with 102 containers of suspected hazardous waste from docking at Tirana’s main port. The ship, Moliva XA443A, was blocked from entering the port of Durres following a warning from the Basel Action Network (BAN).
According to BAN, the containers are believed to be carrying approximately 2,100 metric tonnes of waste pollution control filter dust from the steel industry. The ship had initially set sail from Durres in July with the intended destination of Thailand, but was refused entry by Thai authorities, leading to stopovers in Portugal, Spain, and Italy before returning to Albania.
Prime Minister Edi Rama denied accusations of the government’s involvement in illegal trafficking of hazardous materials, stating that the shipment’s documents were verified and that iron oxide, the substance listed in the containers, is not considered toxic waste in European catalogs.
The incident highlights the global issue of industrial waste generation, with over 2 billion tonnes produced annually. Environmental NGOs estimate that the industry of shipping such waste from Western nations to developing countries is worth billions of euros each year.
Albanian prosecutors have ordered the containers to be seized and stored in a safe place for monitoring, emphasizing the importance of environmental and physical safety in handling hazardous waste. Authorities are continuing to investigate the situation and ensure proper disposal of the suspected hazardous materials.
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