Albania Blocks Turkish Ship Suspected of Transferring Hazardous Waste
Albanian authorities have intercepted a Turkish-flagged ship carrying 102 containers of suspected hazardous waste from docking at Tirana’s main port. The Basel Action Network, an environmental watchdog group, raised the alarm about the Moliva XA443A ship, prompting prosecutors to order the containers seized and stored in a safe place for monitoring.
The ship had initially left Durres in July with the intention of reaching Thailand, but was refused entry. It made stopovers in Portugal, Spain, and Italy before returning to Albania, where it was blocked by authorities. The ship is suspected of carrying pollution control filter dust from the steel industry, which weighs an estimated 2,100 total metric tonnes.
Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the government against accusations of illegal trafficking, stating that the shipment’s documents were verified and that iron oxide, found in the containers, is not classified as toxic waste in European catalogs.
The incident sheds light on the global industry of shipping hazardous waste from western nations to developing countries, estimated to be worth billions annually. With over 2 billion tonnes of industrial waste generated each year, environmental NGOs are calling for stricter regulations to prevent such incidents and protect the environment.
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