Beirut blast chemical ownership a mystery
The Port of Beirut is still reeling from the impact of the ammonium nitrate explosions on 4 August as it becomes clear that establishing the ownership of the chemicals is no easy task.
In a post on 17 August, Dryad Global said that ownership of the some 2,750t of ammonium nitrate carried into the port by the Moldovan-flagged Rhosus seven years ago should be resolvable.
However, Reuters interviews and trawls for documents across 10 countries have revealed “missing documentation, secrecy and a web of small, obscure companies that span the globe,” said Dryad Global.
The company stated: “Among the still-unanswered questions: who paid for the ammonium nitrate and did they ever seek to reclaim the cargo when the Rhosus was impounded? And if not, why not?”
Additionally, the Rhosus was uninsured, according to two sources.
Investigation begins
Lebanese authorities are leading an investigation at the port following the blasts which left at least 200 people dead and around 6000 people injured. French investigators and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have joined the investigation.
Speaking from the port, David Hale, the US Under Secretary of State for political affairs, said that the FBI “will be playing their role at the invitation of the Lebanese in order to make sure that all the answer that the Lebanese people—and all of us—have about what exactly happened, what led to the circumstances of this explosion. We really need to make sure that there is a thorough and a transparent, credible investigation.”
The Port of Beirut is currently under the control of Lebanese Armed Forces, as reported by GAC on 6 August. Operations at the port have resumed, confirmed the port, with both Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM having used the container terminal since the incident.