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Customs blocks oil extraction plant in Patoz-Marinza, Bankers Petroleum reacts harshly
2025-12-15 21:07:50 / AKTUALITET
The General Directorate of Customs has blocked the activity of the Bankers Petroleum company, leading to a complete halt to oil extraction operations. The company itself made the news public through an official announcement.
"By order of the Director General, Customs has blocked the extraction infrastructure of the Patos-Marinza oilfield, bringing the Company's operational activity to a complete collapse. The pretext for the blockade is the alleged non-payment of excise duty on oil thinner, a product for which, in fact, no excise duty should be paid, as there is no consumption in the territory of the Republic of Albania and it is not used for the production of heat or energy, according to the conditions provided for in Albanian legislation since 2012, in accordance with EU Directives," the Chinese company said in a statement.
According to Bankers, this blockade has brought about a complete halt to oil extraction operations, creating a very high risk to the well-being of the oil field, as well as endangering the lives and property of residents of the area.
"This immediate blockage of operations brings irreparable consequences for the continuity of the management of the oil field, since (in addition to deposits and pipelines) if the production of oil wells is stopped, most of them cannot be put back into operation, irreversibly damaging this asset of the Albanian people. We emphasize that the economic damage is caused much more to the Albanian state than to BPAL, which is only the operator of this resource and not its owner, while the overall impact is even greater," continues the Bankers statement.
The Chinese company that has the concession to exploit Patos Marinza says that the state technical institutions responsible for hydrocarbons in the Republic of Albania (National Agency for Natural Resources - AKBN), through a letter addressed to the General Directorate of Customs and the Ministry of Finance, have clarified that: "The process of extracting oil from the source must be carried out with a continuous and uninterrupted flow 24/7, since otherwise, the crude oil produced from this source, being very viscous and heavy, if cooled, solidifies in pipelines and tanks, becoming unusable."
"Through an official letter, AKBN has requested the intervention of the Ministry of Finance to avoid blocking the Company's operations," Bankers continues.
Fine of 120 million euros
The cause of the blocking of the Company's activity is the excise tax on the diluent, an issue discussed for years by the Albanian state whether or not the Company should pay excise tax on this product.
In 2019, Fier customs issued a statement stating that Bankers Petroleum had not paid 30 million euros in excise duty on the diluent. On top of this obligation, inspectors also calculated a fine of 90 million euros, bringing the total bill to 120 million euros.
But the fine was kept suspended for many years, while it was made official in October of this year. Following this decision, Customs has completely blocked Bankers' activity, demanding payment of 120 million euros.
"The entire matter is currently in court and there is still no final decision, while state bodies, without waiting for the court's decision, are taking arbitrary actions. This is not the first case that BPAL has faced such abusive acts. In these cases, we have won every court case. However, blocking the Company's activity without waiting for the conclusion of the court process is a malicious act that harms the Albanian state, industry employees, subcontractors, the local community, local government and many others," the Bankers announcement states.
The company has even warned the government of serious consequences if it does not intervene to unblock its activity.
"Through this communication with the media, we call on all institutions to manage this delicate situation with prudence. After 6 years of suspension of the control results, which have been considered illegal by the State Administration itself, there is no reason to rush in pursuing a case that will bring irreversible damage to the Company. This development has activated the Force Majeure clause due to "government actions", according to point 17.1 of the 2004 Hydrocarbons Agreement, signed with the Albanian state. We inform you that we have filed a criminal complaint with SPAK against the responsible officials and we invite all parties to await the results of the investigation and the decisions of the courts before taking arbitrary actions," concludes the Bankers announcement.
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