The new terminal will make an additional 12 lanes for cars and trucks and a drug checkpoints available, some 22,000 m2, guaranteeing international security standards
TIRANA, July 17 – The new ferry terminal in Durres Port, a joint investment of 15.4 million Euros by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Albanian government, will be made fully operational by next year. Officials from the country’s biggest port says the new terminal which has been partially open since last summer will be fully operational starting in June 2012, under a contract government has signed with Albanian owned Vega company.
“Works for the covered area of the terminal will finish within December 31 while overall works in the eastern part of the terminal will finish on May 31, 2012,” says the Durres Port Authority in a statement.
The new terminal will make an additional 12 lanes for cars and trucks and a drug checkpoints available, some 22,000 m2, guaranteeing international security standards. The EBRD and EIB loan has enabled port authorities to develop an efficient, effective, modern port that meets international standards, helping finance the construction of a building for passengers and vehicles, customs handling, as well as supporting works arising from the reorganization of existing port cargo operations. The project will help enhance transport between Albania and its European neighbors, improving links especially with countries such as with Italy, Macedonia and Bulgaria– benefiting both businesses and tourists.
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.
Latest data show some 281,350 Albanian and foreign passengers were handled in Durres port during the first half of this year, registering an 8 percent increase compared to the same period last year. However, the number of Albanian passengers using Durres port to travel to the Italian ports of Bari, Ancona and Trieste grew by 24 percent to 186,394 passengers. The visa-free travel, which has been in force since mid-December 2010, has considerably influenced the increase of passengers in the country’s biggest port.
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.
