The border guards from the Coast Guard, in cooperation with workers from the National Environmental Guard, found two motor boats carrying, from Bulgaria, over 1,000 tons of waste that were to be unloaded in the Port of Constanta. Since the beginning of the year, the border police, in collaboration with the competent authorities in environmental protection, have discovered and stopped, in total, approximately 3,600 tons of waste that were to arrive in Romania.
On 08.06.2021, following some informative-operative activities carried out, the border policemen from the Coast Guard, in cooperation with workers from the National Environmental Guard - Constanța County Commissariat, went to Murfatlar Port where they performed a control over the goods transported with two motor barges, under the Romanian flag. They were transporting 1,060 tons of goods declared as scrap metal from Bulgaria, which were to be unloaded in the Port of Constanța, for a company from the municipality of Bucharest that carried out import activities in Romania.
Following the verification of the documents, it was found that they were drafted in a non-compliant manner, with several ferrous waste codes being declared. The checks were also carried out physically on the cargo compartments, and it was discovered that, in addition to the types of waste recorded in the documents, plastic waste was also mixed, cardboard packaging, rubber, ebonite, electrical waste, internal combustion engines containing lubricants and oils, used oil filters, accumulators - batteries, car parts with rubber components.
In this regard, the commissioners of the Constanţa Environmental Guard took the measure of not allowing the entry of the goods on the Romanian territory and returning it to the sender, in Bulgaria, because the transports were non-compliant waste.
In 2021, 64 cases of illegal shipments of waste from the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Greece or Norway were identified, for which, following the verifications carried out by the competent authorities, it was established that they do not correspond the data declared and included in the documents submitted with the customs authority. The goods, in an amount of approximately 3,600 tons, were waste, mixtures of metal and paper, textiles, rubber, wood, batteries and pieces of asbestos, or glass that cannot be released for free circulation in Romania.
Of these cases, 23 were registered by the border guards from the Coast Guard, together with the competent authorities from Constanţa County, being discovered, in total, over 3,000 tons of waste, in the Port of Constanţa, but also in B.C.P. Vama Veche, respectively B.C.P. Negru Voda, as follows:
- In the B.C.P. Port of Constanţa Sud Agigea - approximately 1,900 tons of waste.
- In Murfatlar Port - 1,000 tons.
- In the B.C.P. Black Water - 45 tons.
- In the B.C.P. Vama Veche - about 100 tons.
Another 42 cases were identified at the Territorial Inspectorate of the Giurgiu Border Police, where over 630 tons of such waste were discovered. Regarding crossing points, most cases were registered with the B.C.P. Giurgiu (365 tons), but also at B.C.P. Calarasi (144 tons), B.C.P. Turnu Măgurele (97 tons) and B.C.P. Zimnicea (25 tons).
And at the T.I.B.P Iasi, in B.C.P Albita, a case of aluminum waste was registered, in a total amount of 20 tons.
In all cases, after the completion of the control activity, the goods were reintroduced into containers and returned to the shipping companies.
