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Thailand requests the detention of 100 containers of hazardous waste sent from Albania

Politiko 2024-08-12 14:33:41

Thailand requests the detention of 100 containers of hazardous waste sent from

Thai authorities are struggling to stop around 100 shipping containers suspected of being filled with hazardous industrial waste from Albania arriving at the country's ports, local media reported .

Basel Action Network, a US-based non-profit organization that tracks the toxic trade previously warned Malaysia about illegal waste shipments. Last week it informed the government that containers the organization believed to be filled with potentially harmful electric arc furnace dust were on their way to it.

Thai officials, after receiving information that the containers had been loaded onto ships in Albania in early July, say they are working with counterparts in Albania and Singapore, where the ships will dock later this month, to stop the shipments.

Relevant government agencies "have not been notified and have not consented to these shipments," Thailand's Department of Industrial Affairs, which oversees international waste management, said in an email. "We are currently coordinating and monitoring to prevent this illegal traffic."

Garbage flow

Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries have been faced with an influx of waste from developed countries, from polluted plastics to industrial and electronic waste, which can be laden with toxins.

Under the United Nations' Basel Convention—a global pact signed by many developed economies—countries must consent to waste going their way.

The containers are on board AP Moller-Maersk A/S' ships Campton and Candor, according to the Basel Action Network. Maersk confirmed that two of its cargo ships are carrying containers originating in Albania booked by another shipping line.

None of the containers were declared to contain hazardous waste, otherwise Maersk would have refused to transport them, spokeswoman Summer Shi said in an email.

"Due to speculation regarding the contents of these containers, Maersk will deliver the containers to the shipping line that has booked and is responsible for the containers in question," she said.

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