Suspected toxic waste returns to Albania from Thailand

An estimated 2,100t of suspected hazardous waste, packed in 102 containers aboard the Turkish-flagged container ship Moliva, finally returned to Durres, Albania, on 28 October after travelling thousands of miles across the globe to Southeast Asia and back.

According to the Basel Action Network (BAN), the massive shipment, suspected to contain waste pollution control filter dust from the steel industry, first departed Durres on 4 July 2024, aboard two Maersk-chartered ships. Shortly afterwards, BAN, following a tip from a whistleblower, alerted authorities in Albania, multiple transit countries, and the intended destination, Thailand, that the ship was likely involved in the criminal trafficking of hazardous waste. As a result, the Thai government stated they had never agreed to accept the waste and asked the Singaporean government to stop the shipment.

Transparent sampling and analysis process

BAN’s Director Jim Puckett was at Durres port when the ship arrived and is calling on Albanian authorities to conduct a public opening and sampling of the containers to ensure a transparent sampling and analysis process. He is seeking a split sample so that his independent NGO can conduct a parallel analysis to determine and confirm the hazardousness of the waste. Puckett is scheduled to meet with officials from the Ministry of Environment this week.

“We are 95% certain that this waste is precisely what the whistleblower said it was all along,” said Puckett. “And we are 100% certain it should never have been exported to Thailand. Now that it is back, it is vital that we conduct a full and transparent analysis of the waste’s constituents, determine who generated it, and identify who is responsible for shipping it without proper packaging and notification, likely in violation of international law,” he added.

Investigation in Thailand

Last month, BAN and EARTH, a leading Thai environmental organization that raised the alarm about the shipment alongside BAN, visited the Copper Metal Company Ltd. (CMC), the importer listed on the Bill of Lading as the intended destination of the waste in Lopburi Province, Thailand. There, they observed intermodal containers of imported waste arriving at the facility and took soil and dust samples for analysis. Subsequent test results revealed high levels of toxic metals, such as arsenic, lead, and nickel, that greatly exceeded background levels and soil quality standards for Thailand.

For example, arsenic levels in soil samples collected outside the CMC facility were 215 times higher than in a 2019 study of similar soil in a nearby area. The level was also 77 times the values permitted under Thailand’s Soil Quality Standards. These findings indicated that the importing facility was polluting nearby farmland and should never have been considered an environmentally sound facility qualified to import waste under the terms of the Basel Convention.

“Our government has told us they received no notification of the imported hazardous waste coming to the facility, as required by the Basel Convention,” said Penchom Saetang, director of EARTH. “Thus, they had no opportunity to approve the import or first ensure the process and facility were environmentally sound. We found that they are not.”

Next steps

Now that the waste has returned, BAN and EARTH insist that the real work to unravel the scandal has just begun. They are calling for the following actions:

1. Conduct a transparent and open sampling and analysis of the waste, as outlined in the second letter BAN sent to the government. This includes providing BAN and other independent bodies with a split sample of the waste.

2. Compare the “chemical fingerprint” of the waste with known sources of steel dust in Albania to definitively identify who generated it.

3. Release the results of the intergovernmental investigation in Albania as soon as possible. This investigation should include details on how many shipments of steel dust have likely left the country in the last decade. In Thailand, a comprehensive review of all imports to CMC and similar companies must be conducted to determine if illegal imports have been a recurring issue, with a view toward prosecution.

4. Take proactive steps to ensure that Albanian ports and industries fully understand the Basel Convention, particularly the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure and its roles. They should be trained to identify commonly traded wastes, such as plastics, steel dust, and electronic waste. The EU’s IMPEL organization and/or BAN can provide such training.

5. Ensure the environmentally sound management of the waste, both now and in the future. If safe, legitimate recycling that properly manages the residues cannot be found, then such wastes should be deposited in an engineered landfill designed for hazardous waste, possibly after treatment to prevent leaching.