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Ship still stuck off Durres with toxic waste

One week after arriving in Albanian waters, the 'Moliva', carrying 2,100 tonnes of suspected toxic waste returned by Thailand, is still stuck off the port of Durrës, awaiting authorities to take charge of the cargo, on Nov 4. On Oct 28, the Albanian port authorities did not allow the container ship to dock in the port, and the ship, anchored about a kilometer from the coast, has not moved since. The Durres port authorities and other institutions, including the justice system, are cooperating to ensure the storage of the containers in an environmentally and physically secure location. In the absence of a suitable space, the port authorities have ruled out any possibility of storing the containers in the port. The ship is carrying 102 containers, with 2,100 tons of suspicious wast, allegedly electric arc furnace dust from the Elbasan steelworks. Classified as toxic waste, this dust must be stored and transported under very strict conditions. According to documents provided to Albanian customs, it was iiron oxide, the export of which was authorised.

Containers with suspected toxic cargo seized

After the 'Moliva' has returned to Tirana, the Albanian prosecutor’s office in the port has ordered the suspicious containers to be seized and stored in an environmentally and physically safe place for monitoring on Oct 28, and prevented the ship suspected of transferring a huge amount of hazardous waste from docking at the main port of Tirana. The ship was kept about a kilometer from the port of Durres. The Seattle-based environmental non-governmental organization Basel Action Network (BAN) had reported the ship to authorities in August after an anonymous tip that its 102 containers were suspected of carrying an estimated 2,100 tons of steel industry pollution filter dust. The cargo first left Durres on July 4, on two ships chartered by the shipping company Maersk, bound for Thailand. The NGO also alerted several transit countries and worked with EARTH, a Thai environmental organization, to raise the alarm.

Ship with possible toxic waste returned to Durres

The 'Moliva', carrying hundreds of tonnes of possibly toxic industrial waste returned to Durres on Oct 28, 2024, months after setting sail to dispose of the material in Thailand. It has on board around a hundred containers filled with suspicious waste, and was set to be tested by Albanian authorities. The 'Moliva' left Albania in early July and according to documents its cargo consisted of industrial waste, specifically iron oxide, whose export is authorised. However, information of a whistleblower suggestedthe cargo actually contained electric arc furnace dust (EAFD). Classified as toxic waste, this dust must be stored and transported under very strict conditions. Ultimately rejected by Thailand, the ship turned back and returned to Albania with stopovers in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Turkiye. The Durres prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the smuggling of prohibited goods and has indicated it planned take samples of the samples for analysis upon the ship's arrival at Durres to determine whether the containers indeed contained toxic waste. The Durres prosecutor's office, which is working in cooperation with the European anti-fraud office (OLAF), ordered on Oct 27 the seizure of the containers upon their arrival to prepare for their opening under safe conditions. Report with photo: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/28/10/2024/ship-with-suspected-toxic-waste-returns-to-albania