TIRANA, July 19 – Kosovo authorities have blocked 40 tanker trucks with an estimated 1 million liters of poor quality fuel entering the Kosovo market through Albania, but reportedly originating from Spain, where it was imported from Durres Port on behalf of three Kosovo companies, Kosovo media have unveiled. The seizure in the neighboring country also raises concern about the quality of fuel entering Albania, a huge oil producer, but importing the overwhelming majority of fuel as domestic oil production is mainly destined for exports due to heavy refining needs.
Investigations have unveiled Albania has one of the region’s poorest oil quality, and almost everything goes unpunished.
Quite surprisingly, Albania also apply EU norms on fuel emissions for vehicle’s annual technical control tests, with thousands of cars failing tests in a considerable number of cases due to poor quality fuel.
The country’s oil supervisory authorities impose fines on about a dozen of petrol stations each month, but only a few of them are related to poor quality fuel, often because of high level of sulfur.
Tests carried out by the Kosovo customs authorities and two private labs showed the diesel did not meet required standards. It is not clear whether the fuel quantity originating in Spain passed through Albania in transit or whether it was stored in Albania before being taken to Kosovo, writes Kosovo’s daily Zeri.
The Kosovo Fuel Traders Association says the latest case shows that it’s the imported fuel that has poor quality and not individual petrol stations who face fines of €10,000 in case of trading fuel not meeting standards.
Poor quality oil is also a key concern in Albania, which due to heavy tax burden levied on oil, faces one of Europe’s highest fuel prices, despite having one of the poorest income.
A recent investigation by the Albanian Journalism Lab show the country key oil distributors overwhelmingly trade fuel mixed with cheaper substances such as kerosene and crude oil, at a time when the product is not fully refined.
Lab tests showed Albania’s oil quality is the region’s poorest, with a negative impact on the environment, pollution-related diseases and some 430,000 cars possessed by Albanians.
