Facts/ How the project for the Port of Durrës changed, what was served to the Albanians in the beginning

2022-11-20 18:14:58Investigim SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Edi Rama and Mohamed Alabbar during the presentation of the project for the tourist port of Durrës

When he presented the project for the Port of Durrës for the first time before last year's parliamentary elections, Edi Rama described it as the biggest and most transformative investment that Albania has ever known. It is still called such today, and according to the proposed figures that will be invested in this project, it is so.

Between April 2021 and November 2022, the rhetoric regarding this project has changed a lot. In the beginning, it was promised a direct investment of the 'Emaar' group, one of the largest global companies in the field of construction and a protagonist in the transformation of Dubai.

But, 'Emaar' was replaced by the company 'Eagle Hills' registered in Dubai only one year ago with a modest capital of 10 thousand ALL.

The other promise of April 2021 was the construction of the largest yacht port in the Mediterranean, which would turn Durrës into the main destination of elite tourism. But what was offered is a port with 280 berths, half the size of Porto Montenegro in Montenegro.

An investment of 2.1 billion euros is promised in 5 years. In fact, the company will invest from its capital only 7 percent of this amount, or 160 million euros. According to the business plan, the rest will be provided by the sales of apartments and other constructions of the first phase.

Meanwhile, as for the port, it may take up to 20 years to be ready and operational. Practically, the Albanian Government is giving away a public plot of land for free, which with today's market value is estimated to fetch over 400 million euros.

When faced with this question, all officials avoid this fact. The other promise is the employment of 50,000 people, when in fact 12,000 are foreseen in the company's business plan.

In addition to these, there are several big questions whose answers were either half-hearted on the part of the Government representatives, or unanswered, or unconvincing.

The first question, why all this rush for such a major project, which gives away 818 thousand square meters of public property in such a coveted area on the coast? Edi Rama and Belinda Balluku answered that "there is no time to waste".

The answer is not convincing, firstly due to the fact that the discussions started more than a year ago. Which means the wait has been relatively long. Why not wait another 2 months for the law to be passed by normal procedure, in consultations with the public and discussed in the Assembly?

The next question is related to the project. According to the business plan, the company will build buildings and residences in the first phase. So the port will not be affected. Is there a risk that the company will build buildings on a vacant lot and then leave, leaving Durrës without a tourist port? This question has not been answered.

The next question concerns the concern that the government's projects risk removing Albania from the maritime transport map. Simultaneously, the implementation of two projects were announced, the one for the relocation of the Port of Vlora and the construction of a tourist port and residential building and the port of Durrës.

The relocation takes place without first completing the new cargo ports, namely Triport in the case of Vlora and Porto Romano in the case of Durrës. Is there a study by the Ministry of Infrastructure on the effects of these projects on the maritime transport regime of goods and people, especially for Durrës, which is the main gateway for Albania, Kosovo, but also North Macedonia? Even this question has not received an exhaustive answer.

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