In 1938, our fleet had only 46 wooden boats remained, with lightweights ranging between 50 to 300 tons each and approximately 2845 tons of gross tonnage.
Number of Albanian vessels in years:
– In 1912- 500 vessels
– In 1918- 7 vessels
– In 1928- 60 vessels
– In 1938- 46 vessels
In 1943 several agencies were involved in freight processing activities in Durres Port:
– 8 logistic agencies
– 1 stevedoring agency
– 1 customs agency
During this period the Port of Durres had a crucial role in maritime trade marking considerable escalation in crude oil production (from 108 thousand tons in 1938 to 155 thousand tons in 1942 and volumes of: coal, bitumen, chromium, cigarettes, lumber, etc.) which had an immense influence in the seaborne trade volumes growth. Until 1944 freight processing operations were handled by manual labor as well as boat equipment. Marine vessels maintenance and service requirements led to the emergence of the Durres Port shipyard.
