Seattle, USA, Durres, Albania. November 8, 2024. A Turkish-flagged ship, Moliva XA443A, suspected of carrying toxic waste, was permitted to dock at Albania's main port on Friday.

Authorities initially barred the vessel from entering Durres, located 33 kilometers (20 miles) west of Tirana, after a watchdog organization raised concerns about its cargo.

The Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN), an environmental NGO, had flagged the ship to Albanian authorities in August, following information from a whistleblower.

The group suspected the ship was transporting approximately 2,100 tons of toxic dust, a byproduct from pollution control filters in the steel industry.

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An estimated 2,100 total metric tonnes of suspected hazardous waste packed in 102 containers aboard the Turkish-flagged container ship MOLIVA finally returned to Durres, Albania today after travelling thousands of miles across the globe to Southeast Asia and back.

Turkish ship MOLIVA, arrives in Durres with 102 containers of dust suspected to be hazardous waste. Source: Marinetraffic, copyright Gianluca Balloni.