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Port of Durrës, port of mafia and illegal toxic waste

2024-08-21 21:08:00, Opinione Bujar Leskaj

Port of Durrës, port of mafia and illegal toxic waste

Illustrative photo

According to the Basel Action Network (BAN), a global non-governmental organization of environmental justice and health, which fights the illegal international traffic of toxic waste, on April 2 of this year, Albania sent from the port of Durrës to China 115 containers of toxic waste.

This cargo, declared as low grade concentrate and zinc ore, was blocked by the Chinese authorities and remains blocked at the Port of Nansha in the city of Guangzhou in China. Analysis by the Chinese authorities proved that the containers were loaded with waste from the hydrometallurgical refining of non-ferrous metals, which contained high levels of lead and other contaminants, contrary to what was declared in the accompanying export documents.

These days, 100 containers (over 800 tons) of toxic waste, coming from the Port of Durrës, denounced by the Basel Action Network, have been sent to Thailand.

These facts cast strong doubts that, in our country, through the Port of Durrës, a well-organized and real mafia activity has been developed and is being developed, with the trade of dangerous, illegal waste for export.

The Rama sect in power has succeeded in slowing down and reducing the real processing and commercial activity of the 2700-year-old Port of Durrës, as well as gradually zeroing out its economic importance. And it is not enough, but it is turning the national port of Durrës into a black spot in European maritime transport, as a source port for transporting drugs and illegal traffic of goods, including toxic waste.

Rightly, many citizens today raise the question: what should the Port of Durrës continue to do, to be called a port of the mafia and of illegal toxic waste?

I. Port of Durrës, a port without proper controls

According to the observations of many experts and international organizations, the control of goods in the port of Durrës leaves much to be desired. Especially to goods for export, it is formally applied and is very rare. The cases cited above are blatant evidence of non-port control of goods.

II. Port of Durrës, very poor security

The prestigious international organization "Global Initiative Against International Organized Crime" has published a report on the Balkan routes of drug trafficking (https://globalinitiative.net/.../balkans-maritime-routes.../ .

The report talks about the international trafficking of cocaine, which takes place through maritime routes in the Balkans. In the chapter on Albania, the Port of Durrës is mentioned as a high-risk port in the use of cocaine trafficking opportunities and routes. "Global Initiative" highlights some weak security links in the Port of Durrës, which give traffickers the opportunity to transport cocaine, using containers coming from different countries of the world, specifically containers with bananas.

According to the well-known international organization, security at the port is far from guaranteed. "The level of security is significantly lower on the 1-kilometer road that separates the container terminal from the scanner, compared to other port areas, although within the perimeter of the port. This gives the mafiosi time to intervene in the container, before it has been checked", it is stated in the "Global Initiative" report.

The port of Durrës has become a strategic point for criminal groups to traffic large quantities of the narcotic substance cocaine, from Latin America to our country, with the main destination being its transit to the countries of the European Union.

The report of the "Global Initiative Against Organized International Crime" continues with the finding that "Since 2018, there have been significant amounts of cocaine seized in the Port of Durrës. The large amount of cocaine seized in this port clearly shows that this port is an important point for international drug trafficking."

III. The Port of Durres has decreased in volume and is losing its strategic advantage

With the decision to move the strategic commercial port of Durrës to Porto Romano, due to the implementation of the mafia project "Durrës Yachts & Marina" of an Arab billionaire, for the benefit of the oligarchs of Rama, the loading-unloading activity and the commercial activity as a whole in port has been declining.

With this move, not only the tens and hundreds of millions of euros of the modernization process of the Port of Durres so far were zeroed out, but also the large fundings, carried out in the road infrastructure, which have had the Port of Durres as a supporting pillar of usefulness, are being significantly devalued. such as the National Road in Albania and the Pristina-Morina highway in Kosovo.

The news of the gradual displacement of the commercial port of Durrës has caused well-known shipping companies for the transport of goods with containers to begin efforts to move their activity away from the Port of Durrës, towards the ports of Thessaloniki in Greece and Kotor in Mount Black.

IV. EU canceled grants and loans for the Port of Durrës

Immediately after the decision to relocate the Port of Durrës, the European Union canceled a grant of 28 million euros, which had been made available by the Investment Fund for the Western Balkans, for the purpose of reconstructing Piers 1 and 2, in the Western Terminal of the Port of Durrës. Durrës.

EU institutions have openly expressed concern and reservations about the modification of the development project of the Port of Durrës, moving it to Porto Romano, as well as the lack of transparency from the Albanian government.

V. Destruction of the commercial port and construction of a marina and 12 thousand apartments

It is difficult to understand how the main and strategic port of the country will be zeroed out in seven years, displacing it, in exchange for the construction of a marina, a hotel and 12,600 apartments!

It is truly unimaginable to think how the Albanian State makes available over 800 thousand square meters of the current Port of Durrës, while the Arab billionaire investor is investing only 86 million euros of his own and will get the rest from the sale of the apartments that will build on these 800 thousand square meters!

This is a mafia project, which resembles the pits of the construction buildings in Tirana, Durra and everywhere in the main cities of the country, where the investor opens the pit and starts the construction, in fact it should be written cleaning. The project, in fact, is exactly a huge pit , a huge money laundering machine!

A project divided into two phases, where in the first phase the Marina is not mentioned in any row, only 4 thousand residential apartments and a hotel. Then come 280 berths in the Marina, compared to over 8,600 other apartments, planned in the second phase.

Does Durres need this? Is this what Albania needs? Should the 2,700-year-old port, this strategic hub of the country's economy, be demolished and replaced with 12,600 residential apartments?

What about the hundreds of millions of euros of concession contracts broken in Porto Romano and which, for sure, will end up in international arbitration courts, who will pay them? Rama sect in government?

VI. Brazen fraud with the financing of the new port

The public statements of Rama and his sect two or three years ago, for allegedly financing the construction of the new commercial port in Porto Romano from the funds of strategic foreign investors and not a single lek from the Albanian Budget, from the moment when "nothing ” the project of destroying the largest port in the country came on stage, they already belong to the past.

Rama then went on to promise that the new port would be built as a PPP (44% state and 56% private). Even this variant-adventure was left on the way.

The government has now degraded to the option of building the entire new port in Porto Romano, with Albanian taxpayers' money. She is afraid to mention its full cost, which could reach 1-1.5 billion euros.

This is the legacy from the mafia adventure-project with a marina, a hotel and 12,600 apartments in the heart of Durrës, that Rama left to the Albanians. For this adventure, Albanians are robbed of a public property, such as the current port, along with land assets, with a market value of around 3 billion euros.

At the same time, there are 231 million euros forgiven, taxes of the city of Durrës, which should have been returned to investments for the residents of the city, if the project of the Arab billionaire "Durres Yachts and Marina" would be taxed according to the Constitution and laws in force (the first denunciation of this amount was made by Mr. Igli Cara).

In exchange, Rama has left the Albanians a "legacy" of 1-1.5 billion euros for a new port, which will be built from their taxes. And he is not ashamed to sell it as an extraordinary development of the country!

VII. The main person responsible for the abuses in the Port of Durrës is promoted... minister!

As if the identification of the port in all the law enforcement structures of the European Union countries as a drug port, the numerous corrupt violations in public procurements denounced by the opposition and courageous media, breach of contracts, etc., the director of the Port of Durrës for a few weeks as if it were not enough today, through a dubious appointment by the "Regional Leader", the head of the sect in government, is promoted ... Minister of Defense!

Apparently, he needs to do with the army's properties what he did with the administration of the country's most important and strategic port assets, ruining and degrading it.

The trade in illegal toxic waste is impossible to realize, without the knowledge and corruption of state institutions that are functionally responsible for border security, starting with the port authority, customs and border police.

Now that the facts are being revealed by NGOs and the international and national media, facts that the opposition has denounced and is strongly denouncing, the justice bodies must immediately begin investigations to see what toxic wastes have circulated in Albania. who organizes this illegal trade and to what extent is the state of the Rama sect immersed in this criminal activity.

Legal punishment is a screaming necessity in many plans./ CNA