TIRANA, July 5 – Businesses in neighboring Macedonia are considering using Albania’s Durres port as an alternative to Greece’s Thessaloniki port which has been hit by strikes and blockades over privatization plans.
Macedonian officials say the Durres port is the second closest harbour that can benefit the Macedonian economy, which currently carries out about three-quarters of its trade exchanges through Greece’s Thessaloniki port.
“In the midst of continual blockades and strikes at the Port of Thessaloniki, the aim is to open other opportunities for the companies and benefit from opportunities offered by other ports,” Biljana Peeva-Gjuric of the Macedonia Economic Chamber told Durres Port Authorities in a recent meeting in Skopje.
Durres Port director Gazmend Shalsi said the Arbri Road project cutting Albania’s distance with Macedonia and improved port infrastructure are on track to make Albania’s biggest port more competitive to Macedonian businesses.
“The Durres Port has been well-developed both geographically and economically and by having a good location it opens up opportunities which can compete with the Port of Thessaloniki. We will strongly rely on competitive tariffs and quality services compared to regional ports,” said Shalsi.
Albania’s biggest port of Durres handles 3.5 million tonnes of goods and about 750,000 passengers annually.
Macedonian businesses have also previously considered using Albania’s Durres Port because of barriers by Greek authorities and the ongoing name dispute with Greece. However, the longer distance and poor road infrastructure to Durres Port is keeping them away. The construction of the Arbri road linking the two countries has been suspended following failed concession talks with a Chinese company.
Despite some disputes over exports of Albanian fresh vegetables, trade exchanges between the Albania and Macedonia have been constantly increasing in the past few years.
Albania’s exports to Macedonia rose by 21 percent to 6.4 billion lek (€46 mln) in 2015 while imports slightly increased to 8.6 billion lek (€61 mln), according to state statistical institute INSTAT.
The stock of Macedonian foreign investment to Albania slightly rose to €22 million in 2014, up from €17 million in 2012, according to central bank data.
Ethnic Albanians officially account for around 25 percent of Macedonia’s 2 million population, but the figure is estimated to be higher.
The Durres Port, Albania’s largest, targets becoming a regional hub for landlocked Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. It has representation offices in Kosovo and Macedonia.
Key operations in Durres port such as the container and ferry terminals are handled by foreign companies under concession contracts.
