The Italian government has sent 40 asylum seekers who are awaiting deportation to Albania.
They will be kept in Italian-run detention centres until they are repatriated to their home countries.
The two facilities were opened in October 2024 to be used as processing centres for potential asylum seekers intercepted at sea.
It is believed that the rest of the European Union, EU, is watching the experimental scheme closely.
Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, signed a deal with her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama to open the two Italian-run centres in Albania in November 2023.
On Friday, 40 men of different nationalities arrived on board a navy ship in the northern port of Shengjin, according to Italian media.
They will then be moved to a nearby centre in Gjader. The centre is a former military base surrounded by a high fence under camera surveillance.
It is, however, not clear how long they will stay in Albania.
Under Italian law, asylum seekers whose residence claims are not successful can be detained for up to 18 months while awaiting deportation.
