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Beirut explosions: Mozambique with no notification on Rhosus, the ship carrying 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate – Lusa
5:02 CAT | 05 Aug 2020
File photo: Rhosus / Twitter
- State unaware of Beira-bound ship carrying ammonium nitrate confiscated in Beirut in 2013
Cornelder, the managing company of the port of Beira, told Lusa on Wednesday that it had never been notified of the operation of a ship containing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate destined for Mozambique, a cargo that may have caused the explosions in Lebanon.
“Normally, before receiving a ship, we are notified. In this case, we never received any notification from a ship coming to the port of Beira with these characteristics and cargo,” said António Libombo, deputy executive director of Cornelder, concessionaire of the Port of Beira since 1998.
Based on the ship’s records and port schedules, the Associated Press speculated that the ship carrying ammonium nitrate, a cargo that is said to have caused explosions in the port of Beirut, was destined for Mozambique, having docked at Beirut port due to mechanical problems in 2013.
The crew – 8 Ukrainians and 2 Russians – was forced to stay on board of the vessel while the owner Grechushkin declared himself bankrupt and ‘abandoned the ship’. 4 of the crew pictured in Beirut and later in 2014 as they returned to Ukraine.
(Pictures: Boris Prokoshev) pic.twitter.com/2f3irWHc7k— Ruslan Trad (@ruslantrad) August 5, 2020
An article written in October 2015 in the specialist shipping publication shiparrested.com also indicated that the ship was bound for the port of Beira, but had moored in the port of Beirut due to mechanical problems, its cargo being confiscated and stored for several years in the Lebanese capital.
Lusa contacted the Mozambican Ministry of Transport and Communications, which also said it had not been informed about a vessel with these characteristics that year.
Here the details of the Rhosus, the ship from which the ammonium nitrate in Beirut was offloaded https://t.co/66GdkSDTTN
— Alexander Clarkson (@APHClarkson) August 4, 2020
Two successive blasts rocked Beirut on Tuesday, causing more than a hundred deaths and 4,000 injuries, according to the latest assessment by the Red Cross. Beirut’s city governor Marwan Abboud said up to 300,000 people have lost their homes and authorities are working on providing them with food, water and shelter.
It is believed that the violent explosions were caused by material confiscated and stored in the port for several years.
Something fishy is going on here for the origin of Ammonia Nitrate in #LebanonExplosion . Mostafa and Rhosus are at Beruit Port at the same time. Both carrying the same cargo and same amount. Mostafa scrapped soon after, and we Rhosus is meant to to be still there. pic.twitter.com/G0ELk039Pf
— Brent Nagtegaal (@BrentNagtegaal) August 5, 2020
Interview with the captain of the ship whose cargo exploded in Beirut https://t.co/bu7Q38BQT5
— Anton Mardasov (@anton_mardasov) August 5, 2020
Boris Prokoshev, who was MV Rhosus’s captain confirmed reports that the vessel had been transporting #AmmoniumNitrate from Georgia’s Black Sea port of Batumi to Mozambique when it experienced technical problems that forced it to stop in #Beirut.
More 🔽https://t.co/0PUFzOmwyV pic.twitter.com/5dmxoBYrqI— Mohamed Al Neser 🦅 (@M_Alneser) August 5, 2020
How a simple fire alarm ended with an overwhelming tragedy. Bits and pieces of what we know so far and hearts shattered to pieces. pic.twitter.com/6OrjFy2Kv4
— Wassim El Jouni, M.Sc1, M.S., Ph.D, FASN (@Wassim_Ideas) August 5, 2020
Source: Lusa
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