US help Albania cleanup G쳤ec munitions

TIRANA, May 3 – The United
States and Albania signed an agreement
last week to allow U.S. Department
of State contractor,
ArmorGroup North America
(AGNA), to begin the slow and
dangerous process of removing
live munitions from the G쳤ec
blast area.
The deal was signed by Albanian
Defense Minister Gazmend
Oketa and U.S. Charge d’Affaires
Stephen A. Cristina.
The United States has sponsored
the destruction of thousands
of tons of decaying munitions left
over from Albania’s communist era
at a cost of over $55 million. Much
more needs to be done as quickly
as possible to prevent another catastrophe.
The United States will
continue to work with Albania,
other governments, and international
organizations to rid Albania
of these munitions and make the
country safe for its citizens and
visitors.
AGNA has engaged UK company
EOD Solutions, which will
coordinate work of its own employees
and specialized teams of
explosive ordnance disposal experts
from the Albanian Armed
Forces. EOD Solutions has
worked on demilitarization
projects in Albania for over nine
years. Observing the highest safety
standards and working with NATO
specifications wherever possible,
EOD Solutions has demilitarized
over 3,000 tons of munitions and
120,000 weapons without a single
accident.
Officials believe the process of
clearing the Security Exclusion
Zone (SEZ), an area approximately
300 meters surrounding the Gerdec
blast craters, will be slow and difficult.
Even when performed to the
highest standards by skilled professionals,
it is inherently dangerous.
Since multiple explosions have
scattered different kinds of munitions
(both fused and unfused),
propellant, and explosive material
in a wide area, AGNA will first
clear the surface of munitions.
Unfused munitions will be demilitarized
in one of three MOD munitions
factories by trained specialists.
Fused munitions, fuses, and
unfused munitions judged too dangerous
to move will be destroyed
in a safe area near the blast zone.
Once the surface ordnance has
been removed, the operation will
switch to a process similar to mineclearing.
AGNA will use metal
detectors to find munitions. Once
found, workers must carefully dig
down to the source, which could
be a simple piece of scrap metal,
an unfused shell, or a fused weapon
which could explode with the
slightest provocation. The process
of clearing the SEZ could take
up to three years.
While the process will be performed
under the highest safety
standards possible, there is always
a risk involved in dealing with explosives.
Experts from the United
States and other organizations,
such as the Albanian Mine Action
Executive and DanChurchAid,
consider that both the SEZ and the
area immediately within 800 meters
of the fence poses serious risks
to inhabitants and livestock. Company
officials say the risks include
explosions, potential contamination
of soil and water, and hidden
structural damage from the March
15 explosions. They have recommended
that displaced residents of
this area not return until the area is
declared safe.