Transport of dangerous waste, Durres Prosecutor: Investigations, Along with International Partners

The Durres prosecution announced on Wednesday that it has launched investigations, in co-operation with the European Office against Economic Deception (OLAF), on more than 800 tonnes of remains allegedly dangerous, in charge of 100 containers launched by the Durres Port early July.

According to an official report, the investigation has been launched on the basis of materials referred to by the General Customs Directorate for Criminal Work “Kontrabands with banned or limited goods”, while the Durres Police Directorate also referred to another investigative material under suspicion of criminal activity “Transferporting waste” and “Using task”, based on “information received by media”.

The alert for the transport of dangerous wastes from Albania was given by the 1989 Basel Action Network (BAN), an expert organisation on environmental justice issues that has been named after the 1989 Basil Convention, with clear limits to the trade of dangerous waste.

The shipment is taught to take root in remains created during technological processes from the activity of the Turkish Kurum Company in the area of the former metallural plant in Elbasan.

Suspects are that transport is carried out under forged documents as safe waste. They have been fired at the Refugian goods Terminal in the port of Durres, later being loaded in containers. The first stop was originally at the port of Trieste in Italy, where containers were loaded onto other vessels, with Thailand's destination.

Alarm from the BAN organisation followed numerous reactions, and Thai authorities announced they refused to be fired to their country of containers, which are being transported aboard two ships from the international company Maersk. Likely, according to various international reports, the shipment will have to return to Albania, where authorities have been reserved in their public information.

The prosecution's investigations are expected to shed light on the entire chain of actions to hide the transportation of these remains, a process that must be accompanied by strict procedures according to the rules. The prosecution announced that, besides Olaf, it is co-operating and “with the Albanian law enforcement institutions and international partners, to quickly and fully clarify all the circumstances of the event”. / VOA