US Department of State and Albania’s MOD Agree to Begin Gërdec Munitions Cleanup (May 2, 2008)

Today Minister of Defense Gazmend Oketa and Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Cristina signed an agreement that will allow U.S. Department of State contractor ArmorGroup North America (AGNA) to begin the slow and dangerous process of removing live munitions from the Gërdec blast area.

To date, the USG 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 USG will continue to work with the GOA, other governments, and international organizations to rid Albania of these dangers 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.

The process of clearing the Security Exclusion Zone (SEZ), an area approximately 300 meters around the 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 fuzed and unfuzed), propellant, and explosive material in a wide area, AGNA will first clear the surface of munitions.  Unfuzed munitions will be demilitarized in one of three MOD munitions factories by trained specialists.  Fuzed munitions, fuzes, and unfuzed 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 mine-clearing.  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 unfuzed shell, or a fuzed 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 USG and other organizations, such as the Albanian Mine Action Executive and DanChurchAid, consider that both the SEZ and the area immediately outside it up to 800 meters poses serious risks to the inhabitants and livestock:  explosions, potential contamination of soil and water, and hidden structural damage from the March 15 explosions; we strongly urge displaced residents of this area not to return until it is judged safe.