Port of Vlorë

Position and rank among Albanian ports

The Port of Vlorë (Albanian: Porti i Vlorës) is located in the city of Vlorë on Albania's Adriatic and Ionian coastline. By size it ranks as the second largest port in Albania, after the Port of Durrës.

The port complex is not a single facility but a grouping of distinct operational areas: a dry cargo port, a petroleum terminal known as Vlore 1, and a fishing harbour. Each component serves a different sector of the port's traffic.

The fishing harbour and its role in the transition

The fishing harbour of Vlorë — formally the Vlora Fishing Harbor (Albanian: Porti i peshkimit Vlorë) — is situated in the city of Skel, close to Vlorë rather than within the city itself.

This fishing port has been assigned a transitional administrative function beyond its primary role: it is designated as the temporary location for the relocated passenger terminal and cargo area of the Port of Vlorë while construction of the Vlora Marina proceeds on the site of the existing passenger terminal.

The Lungomare Master Plan and port redevelopment

The Port of Vlorë is formally incorporated into a broader urban planning framework called the Lungomare Master Plan for Vlorë. The plan envisions a restructuring of the waterfront that integrates the port with public and commercial infrastructure across the city's seafront zone.

Among the components of the Master Plan is the construction of a yacht port. A road element — the Trans-Balkan Road, also referred to as the Cultural Corridor — has already been completed as one segment of the plan. A second segment of that road, extending from the existing road to the port, was planned to be added, though the article does not specify a completion date for this second segment.

The 2021 marina concession

In 2021, a joint venture company formed by UK and Albanian partners won a concession tender for the construction of the Vlora Marina. The concession covers the grounds currently occupied by the passenger terminal area of the Port of Vlorë.

The marina project, described in the source as a luxury development, comprises several distinct elements: docking areas for yachts, residential and hotel complex towers, and commercial areas including bars and restaurants. The article does not specify the financial value of the concession, the names of the joint venture partners, or a projected completion date.

Petroleum infrastructure: the Vlore 1 terminal

The Port of Vlorë includes a dedicated petroleum terminal designated Vlore 1. It is listed as one of the three main operational components of the port alongside the dry cargo port and the fishing harbour.

The article does not provide throughput figures, storage capacity, or details about the origin or destination of petroleum shipments handled at Vlore 1, and those details should not be assumed from other sources.

Connectivity and the Trans-Balkan Road

Road access to the port is linked to the Trans-Balkan Road, which is also described in the source as the Cultural Corridor. The first segment of this road has been completed. A second segment, running from the existing road to the port itself, was identified as a planned addition under the Lungomare Master Plan framework.

The article does not provide the total length of either segment, the funding arrangement, or the authority responsible for construction. The relationship between the road and the marina concession suggests the infrastructure projects are coordinated, but the article does not state this explicitly.