PRESS RELEASE- DURRËS PORT AUTHORITY/ July 29th 2023

The Durres Port Authority strongly condemns the utterly misleading statements of the representatives of EMS-APO concessionaire company, held in several national media, in an attempt to intimidate and hinder the implementation of the security and administration plans in the Port of Durres.

We emphasize the fact that government agencies have never put into question, neither the quiet enjoyment of the concession contract by EMS-APO, nor its operational activity, but have requested to exercise their legal right of way to a development area, duly approved into Law by the Parliament of the Republic of Albania.

Contrary to EMS-APO’s false claims, the Port Authority has taken the necessary measures to ensure the continuity of the daily operational activity of all port terminals, including the Eastern Terminal, by improving security plans and internal traffic regulations of the port. Considering the large flow of passengers and goods that are processed in Durres during this period, the implementation of increased security measures is certainly necessary and the representatives of the concessionaire company have been duly informed on the matter.

Furthermore, one can easily verify that the cargo processing as well as all the relevant operational activities in the Eastern Terminal, have continued to proceeded normally and without any undue obstacles today, where 14,000 tons of chrome ore were loaded. This is also confirmed by images from our drones that monitor the port areas, as well as from satellite images available from ASIG.

EMS-APO’s refusal and obstructive attitude cannot be justified, nor can it be supported, either by its operational activity or its economic performance. As a matter of fact, the concessionaire has repeatedly failed to comply with the economic and financial plans proposed by the company itself in the concession contract.

EMS-APO is misusing information in an attempt to obscure the fact that, based on facts and figures, it is one of the worst performing companies in the Port of Durres. A company that has apparently decided to maximize its profits by way of conflict with the Port Authority and by threatening lawsuits and arbitrations.

DPA assures all stakeholders that we are acting in full compliance with the legal provisions in force and we shall not allow EMS-APO, or any other company, neither to denigrate the transparent operational processes of the Port, nor to conceal the incompetence of its management staff.

In view of the circumstances, and despite the goodwill of the state authorities, it is evident that EMS-APO continues to demonstrate a complete lack of willingness to cooperate with the relevant institutions and has undertaken deliberate actions aimed at benefiting from potential court decisions.

Moreover, in view of the fact that during the concessionaire activity, a large number of violations of the contractual provisions have been repeatedly ascertained, today’s obstructive statements and actions carried out by EMS-APO further demonstrate that it is a wholly unreliable entity for the development of port services in Albania.