Durrës Prosecutor’s Office launches investigation into shipment of hazardous metallurgical waste

The Durrës Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into a shipment dispatched on July 4, 2024, from the Port of Durrës, destined for Thailand, containing 816 tons of suspected hazardous waste, specifically dust from steel furnace filters produced by the KURUM company, which operates in Elbasan.
Why is this significant
The case has caused concern and indignation in Albania and has put justice institutions under pressure to get to the bottom of this scandal and the alleged involvement of an industry giant like KURUM.
Context
Following concerns raised by Thai authorities, the Albanian Ministry of Environment confirmed on Wednesday that the hazardous waste shipment had indeed left the area of the former Metallurgical Plant in Elbasan, where KURUM International has been operating for years. The waste was transported by the company ‘Sokolaj shpk,’ which has confirmed its cooperation and contract with KURUM International.
Representatives from KURUM have denied any involvement in transporting hazardous materials. They assert that the company sold ‘iron oxide’—not the much more dangerous steel furnace dust—to Sokolaj. The shipping documents also listed it as ‘iron oxide,’ a substance whose export is permitted.
The Durrës Prosecutor’s Office began its investigation on August 16, focusing on potential violations related to the shipment, including smuggling of prohibited or restricted goods. The investigation will examine the origins of the hazardous waste, its transport, and its passage through the port.
In addition to the prosecutor’s office, Albanian authorities are collaborating with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and other international institutions. According to reports, 40 containers were loaded onto the vessel Contship Vow on July 4 at the Port of Durrës. The containers were then transferred to the ‘Maersk Campton’ in Trieste and were scheduled to be moved again to a Maersk vessel in Singapore on August 18. The ship was expected to arrive at Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port on August 20. Another shipment of about 60 containers, which also departed from Durrës and was loaded onto a different Maersk vessel outside Albania, was set to reach the same Thai port on August 22.
The alarm about the hazardous waste shipment from Albania was raised by the Basel Action Network (BAN), an organization specializing in environmental justice issues. One of the ships, the ‘Compton,’ even disabled its GPS signal on July 31, one day before approaching Cape Town in South Africa. Thai officials have announced that they will not accept the ships into their territory and will return them.
According to the Basel Convention, the United Nations treaty regulating the trade of hazardous waste, containers are to be returned to their country of origin.