Durres port exports up 9% y-o-y in Jan-Aug

TIRANA, Oct. 5 – Exports handled through Durres Port during the first eight months of this year rose by 9 percent year-on-year climbing to 865,000 tonnes. Albania’s top exports through Durres Port are cement, tin and chromium. Meanwhile, imports from Durres Port rose by a modest 52,000 tonnes reaching 1.43 million tonnes. Data published by the country’s biggest port show Durres Port handled 2.3 million tonnes of goods during the January-August period, up 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Ferry lines also handled 488,000 tonnes of goods in trailers during this period. Last summer, Turkey’s Global Liman Isletmeleri A.S, formed a consortium with Durres Kurum Shipping Sh.A. signing a concession agreement with the Albanian government to operate the Container Terminal of Durres Port in Albania for 35 years. The construction of new sites to handle goods and creating necessary conditions for high-tonnage ships will be the major two objectives for the country’s biggest port this year. The new ferry terminal in Durres Port, a joint investment of Euro 15.4 million by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) , the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Albanian government, will be made fully operational only next year. The Port of Durres, owned by the Albanian government, is a core part of the regional transport network in Southeast Europe, and an important centre for international trade and travel. The Port is by far the largest commercial port in Albania, transporting on average around 80 per cent of the country’s international ship-borne traffic. The port is currently involved in four main activities, ferry operations, cargo operations, container operations and oil storage operations.