Beirut Blast: How the Ammonium Nitrate Bust Reached the Port

The Lebanese government has said that the blasts in Beirut were caused by an explosion of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the port area of ​​the city.

Their people are angry and they are not convinced that such a huge amount of potentially explosive material was kept in a warehouse adjacent to the city for the last six years without any security arrangements.

The government has not yet told where this ammonium nitrate came from in the warehouse of the Port Area, but six years ago this chemical reached Beirut by a similar amount.

It was the year of 2013 and the month of November. The ship 'MV Rosus', which arrived at the port of Beirut with a consignment of ammonium nitrate, had a flag from the Moldova of the country of Eastern Europe. The Russian-owned ship sailed from Batumi in Georgia to Beira in Mozambique in September.

At the port of Beirut

Ammonium nitrate looks like small tablets. They are extensively used as fertilizer in agricultural work.

If mixed with fuel oil, it takes the form of explosives and is used in the mining and construction industry.

According to a 2015 report by the shipping industry's news tracking website 'ShippingArrested.com', 'MV Rosus' encountered a 'technical problem' while passing through the eastern Mediterranean and was anchored at the port of Beirut. Was forced to

This article was written on 'ShippingArested.com' by the Lebanese lawyers who lobbied the crew of this ship. The lawyers said that the port officials investigated the 'MV Rosus' and prohibited his 'traveling in memory'.

Leakage in 'MV Rosus'

Most of the crew members were deported to their country of origin, except for Russian captain Boris Prokhov and three others of 'MV Rosus'.

Three people stopped were citizens of Ukraine. Boris Prokoshev told the news agency Reuters on Thursday that 'MV Rosus' was leaking at that time, but he was in a position to travel in the sea.

He said that the ship's owner had decided to send 'MV Rosus' to Beirut because he was going through financial difficulties and had to ship heavy machines as additional cargo in Beirut.

But the crew of the ship failed to safely mount the extra cargo ie heavy machines on the 'MV Rosus' and the ship's owners could not pay the port charges. In these circumstances, the Lebanese authorities seized the 'MV Rosus'.

Court of Beirut

According to the lawyers, shortly after this, the owners of 'MV Rosus' lost interest in their ship and left it unclaimed. Then his owners' interest in the goods loaded on the ship also ended. But the lenders remained interested in the ship.

Meanwhile, members of the ship's crew at the port of Beirut were trapped there. Their food and drinks were slowly dying out. Lawyers told that they approached the court of Beirut for an immediate hearing in the case.

The court was told that the cargo that is on the ship is of a dangerous type and this may put the crew members at risk. So they should be allowed to return to their homes.

The judge accepted these arguments and the crew members were allowed to land 'MV Rosus'.

Warehouse number 12

In 2014, the port authorities removed ammonium nitrate from the ship and placed it in warehouse number 12. Right next to this warehouse was a stock of grain. Lawyers say that this cargo had to be disposed of through auction.

"That cargo was very explosive. I am sorry for the people killed and injured in the blast. But the local Lebanese authorities should be punished," says Boris Prokoshev, captain of MV Rosus. He cares about the cargo. Not done. "

Both the port's general manager Hassan Koretem and Lebanese Director General of Customs Badri Daher on Wednesday said they and other officials had warned the judiciary of the danger of ammonium nitrate and told them the need to remove it.

Such documents are being shared on the Internet, due to which it seems that the officials of the Customs Department had written a letter to a judge in Beirut at least six times between 2014 and 2017 to hear the matter immediately. The judge was asked for advice on how to sell or dispose of this ammonium nitrate.

President Michelle Aoun's promise

Hasan Koretem told local television channel OTV that the state's security department had also sent a similar warning letter.

Lebanese Public Works Minister Michael Najjar took charge of his department early this year. Michael Najjar told the Al Jazeera channel that he came to know about the presence of ammonium nitrate only in late July and that he had spoken to Hasan Koretem on Monday.

Just the next day a fire broke out in the ammonium nitrate stock. At least 137 people have died in the blast and around 5000 people have been injured while many are still missing.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said that the failure to handle the cargo of 'MV Roses' is completely unacceptable and has promised that the people responsible for this will be given strict punishment.

The government has ordered that those responsible for the storage and safety of this ammonium nitrate will be kept under house arrest during the investigation.