An estimated 2,100 total metric tonnes of suspected hazardous waste packed in 102 containers aboard the Turkish-flagged container ship MOLIVA returned to Durres, Albania after travelling thousands of miles across the globe, according to Basel Action Network (BAN) and Bloomberg reports.
According to Bloomberg, Albanian prosecutors ordered that containers filled with suspected hazardous industrial waste be seized after the cargo was forced to return to Europe from Southeast Asia.
The prosecutors’ order Sunday directed customs authorities and the police to confiscate 102 containers for criminal proceedings. The containers, which arrived at Durres’ port on the morning of 28 October, caused a global outcry after they were shipped from there in early July bound for Thailand.
The shipment of what is suspected of being waste pollution control filter dust from the steel industry, first left Durres on July 4th, 2024, on two Maersk chartered ships as reported by Basel Action Network, a U.S.-based nonprofit that monitors toxic trade.
Shortly thereafter, the Basel Action Network (BAN), following a tip from a whistleblower, alerted authorities of Albania, multiple transit countries, and the intended destination country of Thailand that the ship was likely involved in the criminal trafficking in hazardous waste. As a consequence, the Thai government stated they never agreed to accept the waste and asked the Singaporean government to stop the shipment according to the BAN statement.
The Basel Action Network states that last month BAN and EARTH, a leading Thai environmental organization that together with BAN raised the alarm about the shipment, visited the Copper Metal Company Ltd. (CMC), the importer listed in the Bill of Lading as the intended destination of the waste in Lopburi Province, Thailand, BAN states.
While there, they found intermodal containers of imported wastes arriving at the facility. Furthermore, they also took soil and dust samples for analysis. The subsequent test results had revealed high levels of toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, and nickel that greatly exceeded background levels as well as soil quality standards for Thailand.
