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soothsayer

(38,601 posts) Wed Aug 5, 2020, 02:27 PM Aug 2020

Explosive Fertilizer Confiscated From Russian Businessman's Ship Linked to Beirut Blast - Mediazona

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Olga Lautman
@olgaNYC1211
Russia is always entangled. So much corruption and illegal dealings

Explosive Fertilizer Confiscated From Russian Businessman’s Ship Linked to Beirut Blast – Mediazona

https://t.co/xKPyDGCfn1?amp=1

Snip

Nearly 3,000 tons of a highly explosive fertilizer that caused Tuesday’s devastating blast in Beirut came from a ship owned by a Russian businessman, the Mediazona news website reported Wednesday, citing Lebanese television and members of the ship’s crew.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a statement Tuesday that 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for years in a Beirut portside warehouse had blown up, killing at least 100 people and causing widespread damage to the Lebanese capital. The source of the ignition was still unclear, he said.

Lebanese authorities in 2014 confiscated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate from a Moldovan ship called the Rhosus, the country’s LBCI television channel reported overnight, citing sources at a Supreme Defense Council meeting.

The Rhosus is owned by Igor Grechushkin, a Russian national and resident of Cyprus, Mediazona cited the ship’s crew members as saying.

15 replies

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Highlight:

Explosive Fertilizer Confiscated From Russian Businessman's Ship Linked to Beirut Blast - Mediazona (Original Post) soothsayer Aug 2020 OP

Great, now we have to worry that there are ships full of this stuff LisaM Aug 2020 #1

Sounds like it's been stored in Beirut..... stillcool Aug 2020 #2

would seem to be kind of relevant. no? (nt) stopdiggin Aug 2020 #3

I don't know...maybe an interesting tid-bit? stillcool Aug 2020 #9

kind of a stretch to blame Russians stopdiggin Aug 2020 #11

and, to add to the head-scratching.. stillcool Aug 2020 #13

But if they confiscated it off a ship.... LisaM Aug 2020 #4

Of course there are. It's fertilizer. JHB Aug 2020 #5

yeah..I don't get it... stillcool Aug 2020 #7

There have been ships full of this sarisataka Aug 2020 #6

Zat right? greenjar_01 Aug 2020 #8

Who decided to store it in the middle of a metropolitan area for six years? meadowlander Aug 2020 #10

yep. that's a real stretch (nt) stopdiggin Aug 2020 #12

If you look up the MV Rhosus sarisataka Aug 2020 #14

sounds like the same thing could have happened in a lot of US ports stopdiggin Aug 2020 #15

LisaM

(27,815 posts)

1. Great, now we have to worry that there are ships full of this stuff

Reply to soothsayer (Original post)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 02:48 PM

Aug 2020

floating around?

stillcool

(32,626 posts)

2. Sounds like it's been stored in Beirut.....

Reply to LisaM (Reply #1)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 02:55 PM

Aug 2020

in that warehouse since 2014.

stopdiggin

(11,324 posts)

3. would seem to be kind of relevant. no? (nt)

Reply to stillcool (Reply #2)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:02 PM

Aug 2020

stillcool

(32,626 posts)

9. I don't know...maybe an interesting tid-bit?

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #3)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:24 PM

Aug 2020

the stuff they got off a ship, owned by a Russian, blows up in 2020 in a warehouse where it's been stored since 2014. I don't quite see what the inference is.

stopdiggin

(11,324 posts)

11. kind of a stretch to blame Russians

Reply to stillcool (Reply #9)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:41 PM

Aug 2020

Lebanese government in full control of material (with full knowledge of dangers) for years.
Unless you're looking for a bogeyman.

stillcool

(32,626 posts)

13. and, to add to the head-scratching..

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #11)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 04:12 PM

Aug 2020

the article is from the Moscow Times.

LisaM

(27,815 posts)

4. But if they confiscated it off a ship....

Reply to stillcool (Reply #2)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:06 PM

Aug 2020

chances are, there are more ships out there. Just my take.

JHB

(37,161 posts)

5. Of course there are. It's fertilizer.

Reply to LisaM (Reply #4)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:10 PM

Aug 2020

It does have legitimate use.

stillcool

(32,626 posts)

7. yeah..I don't get it...

Reply to LisaM (Reply #4)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:20 PM

Aug 2020

I guess it matters that they got it off a ship owned by a Russian in 2014...but? I don't get it.

sarisataka

(18,695 posts)

6. There have been ships full of this

Reply to LisaM (Reply #1)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:17 PM

Aug 2020

sailing for decades. About 20 million tons of the fertilizer are used each year.

It is safe when it is handled and stored properly.

greenjar_01

(6,477 posts)

8. Zat right?

Reply to soothsayer (Original post)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:22 PM

Aug 2020

meadowlander

(4,399 posts)

10. Who decided to store it in the middle of a metropolitan area for six years?

Reply to soothsayer (Original post)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:27 PM

Aug 2020

The Lebanese authorities who confiscated it or the Russian businessman?

stopdiggin

(11,324 posts)

12. yep. that's a real stretch (nt)

Reply to meadowlander (Reply #10)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 03:45 PM

Aug 2020

not sure why this cargo was declared illegal and seized ...
But this is on the Lebanese government.

sarisataka

(18,695 posts)

14. If you look up the MV Rhosus

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #12)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 04:25 PM

Aug 2020

it explains the mess that left the fertilizer in the port.

Short story- the ship had to stop in Beirut with engine problems in 2013. The owner went bankrupt and abandoned the ship. The cargo was off loaded for safety but the disposition has been tied up in the courts since then.

Port officials knew of the danger and tried to request the fertilizer be moved but the judges did not reply to any letters requesting permission to move it.

stopdiggin

(11,324 posts)

15. sounds like the same thing could have happened in a lot of US ports

Reply to sarisataka (Reply #14)

Wed Aug 5, 2020, 04:47 PM

Aug 2020

without straining the imagination too much. No legal ownership. Incompetent and pass the buck authorities. Legal wrangling, and glacier-like court system.

Yep. We could do all that here!

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