Shkodra free zone

By analyzing, let’s say, the ‘principles’ of the planning of
state funds and strategies for the seaports development, the
government decision to allocate development funds to Saranda
rather
than to Shengjin seaport, or better to Vlore and nothing to Shengjin
and Shkodra seaports, is considered wrong. We base this judgment
on the archived expert opinions in these fields and, also, on the
recent data of Muchel company (a French company assigned by the
World Bank to accomplish the master-plan for the development of
the Albanian ports), showing that all the Southern seaports (the port
of Vlore is classified in the second category) due to their mountain
ranges surrounding them, are considered as isolated from the Eastern
part of Albania and Balkans.
This rationale is enough to understand their distinction from
the Northern seaports, in this case from the ports of Shengjin and
Shkoder (free of any geographical obstacle), which seating next to
the only railway leaving Albania towards Montenegro-Europe, meet
all the conditions to become international ports and have all the
chances to turn into unloading centres and confluent points for all
the
roads of Northern Albania, East Balkan countries, as well as those of
Central Europe that do not have access to the sea. Talking about
seaports and based upon the experience of the countries with
advanced port services, it would be much more effective if the
development investment were carried out in the Shengjin seaport
rather than that of Saranda.
It is not by chance that in 1939 the preparatory works to
extend the Shengjin port to the lagoon of “Knalla”, at its entrance,
started. Because
of its natural location, Knalla region is very suitable
for the port extension. Besides the water depth which permits
shipments of heavy tonnage, the vast land space which exists in the
Knalla lagoon also permits the building of enormous stores
and the
installation of loading and unloading equipments (cranes, etc.).
Referring to the Italian project, Shengjin has all the potentials to
become a port times bigger than that of Durres and one of the biggest
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