NGO urges Albania to 'transparently' probe suspected toxic waste

Tirana: A Seattle based NGO specialising in tracking toxic waste urged Albania on Tuesday to lead a transparent probe into hundreds of tons of possibl...

Tirana: A Seattle-based NGO specialising in tracking toxic waste urged Albania on Tuesday to lead a transparent probe into hundreds of tons of possibly hazardous material expected to be shipped there next weekend.

In early July, 102 containers loaded, according to customs documents, with iron oxide, sailed from Albania's port of Durres for Thailand.

But according to information provided to the Basel Action Network (BAN) by a whistle-blower, they were also carrying electric furnace dust (EAFD).

The latter is a hazardous byproduct of steel-making that must be stored and transported under very strict conditions.

Refused by Thailand, the waste is now on its way back to Albania, after several months at sea and stopovers in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Turkiye. Prosecutors in Durres have opened an investigation.