Following criticism from the American Chamber of Commerce, the tender procedure for the construction of the new commercial port in Porto Romano has been canceled, after the only company remaining in the competition did not submit its financial offer within the specified deadline.

According to media reports, the only company remaining in the competition in the final phase of the tender did not submit its financial offer on March 9.

The tender had an estimated value of around Euro 400 million and aimed to build a new commercial port in the Porto Romano area.

The head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Tirana, Grant Van Cleeve, addressed a public letter to Edi Rama and senior government officials regarding the Porto Romano tender. Van Cleeve considers this project as a decision that is made once in 100 years and requests the postponement of the competition because, according to him, the existing project deprives Albania of the chance to be competitive in the region.

Meanwhile, the special prosecution SPAK has launched investigations regarding the tender procedure to clarify any inaccuracies or violations during the procurement process.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Enea Karakaçi, has also spoken about the cancellation of the tender.

He stated on Wednesday that the withdrawal of the sole bidding operator from the competition for the construction of the new commercial port in Porto Romano is related to economic reasons and the increase in construction costs in the international market.

In a statement to the media, Karakaçi stated the government will work on another scenario for the realization of the project.

The minister also recalled that a few days ago, Prime Minister Edi Rama also spoke publicly about this project, emphasizing that there are various actors who are trying to stop or sabotage it. Asked if he was aware of allegations that the only company in the competition may have had connections with Russian actors, the minister described this as an allusion.

According to him, throughout the procurement process, the relevant authorities have followed the necessary verification procedures and standards.

Regarding the allegations that the AmCham has raised concerns about the project, Karakaçi stressed that the new port project in Porto Romano has been prepared for more than two years with the consultancy of the international company Royal HaskoningDHV.

According to him, the project has passed all procedural stages and has been drafted according to international standards.

The Minister also explained that the Marina project is being developed according to plan and is divided into several phases, while the current works are not directly related to the commercial port part.

The cost for the construction of the new port of Porto Romano is estimated at Euro 393 million, excluding VAT. The tender has been opened several times since 2021. In the competition opened in December 2024, 5 consortiums submitted their bids and only one of them has passed to the final phase to submit a technical and economic offer. The deadline for this competition closed on March 9. The consortium of operators “Archirodon Construction Company Limited – Deme Dredging nv – Società Italiana Dragaggi s.p.a” did not submit a financial offer.