Return of Hazardous Waste Containers to Europe Amid Environmental Concerns

The shipping containers carrying hazardous industrial waste from Albania bound for Thailand are now being returned to Europe after environmental groups raised concerns about illegal waste exports to Southeast Asia. A ship from AP Moller-Maersk A/S is scheduled to arrive in Singapore with 40 containers of waste, which will then be sent back to Italy by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA. Another 60 containers on board Maersk Candor will also be returned to Europe.

Authorities have been working to prevent the delivery of the waste, identified as potentially harmful arc furnace dust, to Thailand. The Basel Action Network informed Thailand about the suspicious containers, prompting efforts to return them to Albania. Maersk is cooperating with authorities and the shipping company to ensure the waste is transported back via the best route possible.

Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries have been dealing with an influx of garbage from developed countries, including industrial and electronic waste that may be contaminated with toxins. The United Nations Basel Convention requires countries to give consent before receiving waste. The Basel Action Network, along with other environmental organizations, have been working to ensure compliance with the convention and to hold traders accountable for illegal waste shipments.

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