Albania has appointed Andrea Shllaku as the new Director General of the Durrës Port Authority, following the resignation of Liburn Aliu after approximately one year in the position. The leadership change comes at a challenging moment for the country’s maritime sector, with a major tender for the planned €400 million Porto Romano commercial port recently cancelled.
Andrea Shllaku was formally introduced to the authority’s management and employees by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Hantin Bonati and the ministry’s Secretary General, Besian Kadiu.
The new director is no stranger to the institution. He previously served as Deputy Director General and Director of the Operational Division at the Durres Port Authority, alongside earlier positions in Albania’s public administration, including Deputy Minister of Defence.
His predecessor, Liburn Aliu, a former minister in Kosovo’s* government under Prime Minister Albin Kurti, had been appointed to lead the port in October 2025. His departure, announced on 9 November, has not been accompanied by a detailed public explanation.
A Strategic Project Facing Uncertainty
The leadership transition coincides with renewed uncertainty over the development of Porto Romano, one of Albania’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.
The planned commercial port, located north of Durrës, is intended to accommodate freight operations currently handled by the existing city-centre port, while creating modern logistics infrastructure and strengthening Albania’s connections with regional and European transport networks.
However, the European Commission’s 2026 Albania report confirms that the tender for the new commercial port was cancelled after the sole remaining bidder failed to submit a final financial offer within the required deadline.
The setback raises questions about the timetable for a project considered central to Albania’s ambition to become a major logistics gateway for the Western Balkans.
Porto Romano is also closely linked to broader plans to transform the existing Durrës waterfront into a tourism and residential development, making the relocation of commercial activities an important part of the country’s infrastructure strategy.
Regional Implications
For neighbouring economies, particularly Kosovo* and North Macedonia, the future of the Durrës port system extends beyond Albania’s national infrastructure priorities.
Durrës serves as an important maritime gateway for regional trade, while the proposed Porto Romano development is expected to improve cargo-handling capacity and connectivity with inland transport corridors.
The project’s progress will therefore have implications for logistics costs, trade competitiveness and the development of more efficient supply chains across the Western Balkans.
Shllaku inherits responsibility for managing the existing port’s operations while navigating a period of uncertainty surrounding its future role and the transition towards Porto Romano.
Although no official connection has been established between Aliu’s resignation and the difficulties surrounding the new port project, the timing places the leadership change within a wider debate about Albania’s ability to deliver its major infrastructure ambitions.
For the new director, the immediate challenge will be maintaining operational continuity while helping advance a port transformation that could reshape trade routes across the region.
