Massive explosion in Beirut

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Dean2

What a truly silly idea. What fun is having a real expert explain it when there are so many self taught experts on AO that want to do it instead.How thread limiting, post count reducing of you.

Actually, the allusion to Tannerite gives you a small indication of what ammonium nitrate is capable of. Always been a bit of a head shaker for me, that it's allowed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrd7IpWoIYM

Grizz

[urban rednek]

Here is the somewhat convoluted story about how the AN arrived in Beirut.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53683082

For those that don't want to follow the link: The Russian owned, Moldovan-flagged MV Rhosus was transporting 2750.40MT of AN from Batumi, Georgia to Beira, Mozambique. Safety issues, failure to pay the Port Authority fees and further creditor issues resulted in the ship being impounded and the cargo seized.
Since this was in Lebanon, I would hazard a guess that the Hezbollah and Hamas associates of the late Qassem Soleimani might have had something to do with retaining possession of such a large quantity of explosive material.
A few low and mid-level government scapegoats will be brought to justice for this atrocity. The real decision makers will continue doing what they do.

[CaberTosser]

With the ammonium nitrate’s presence there being as well-documented as it is, it debunks a lot of conspiracy theories. It seems the port authority had been rejected by local political authorities something like 6 times in their repeat formal requests to get the stuff removed. I think that person is covered for its presence, but at the same time they’re not necessarily off the hook for the unacceptable safety precautions. I saw one photo attributed to an old article on the stranded cargo where those woven tote bags of the stuff about 48” cubed were stacked blocking a doorway that didn’t seem to have a door, it was simply an opening in the building. Those woven poly tote bags are probably flammable too.

[W921]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

Maybe this will help get things a little more back on topic

Explosives Expert & Chemist Gives Analysis of Beirut Explosion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPf3P-1PEBw

In their climate plus they were keeping fireworks with the fertilizer then it all seems to make sense.
I didn't know before about the fireworks.

[bobtodrick]

Well now some in the Lebanese government are saying it was an attack...possibly a rocket aimed at the warehouse.
Funny how this is coinciding with calls for the government to step down because of how it has mishandled this for years.

[Pioneer2]

Always needs a scapegoat.

[Grizzly Adams]

Al Jazeerah's take on the aftermath of the disaster. Note the reference to the political power of Hezbollah.

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/op...132037834.html


Grizz

[urban rednek]

Interesting article on the ownership of the MV Rhosus and the shadowy world of offshore trade, international shipping and questionable financial institutions.
https://www.occrp.org/en/investigati...sion-shipment?

Excerpt:

* Igor Grechushkin did not own the Rhosus but was merely leasing it through an offshore company registered in the Marshall Islands. Instead, documents show that the true owner of the Rhosus was Charalambos Manoli, a Cypriot shipping magnate. Manoli denies this, but declined to provide documents to back up his claim.
*Manoli owned the ship through a company registered in the notoriously secretive jurisdiction of Panama, which received its mail in Bulgaria. He registered it in Moldova, a land-locked Eastern European country that is notorious as a jurisdiction with lax regulations for vessels that fly its “flag of convenience.” To do this, he worked through another of his companies, Geoship, one of a handful of officially recognized firms that set foreign owners up with Moldovan flags. Then, yet another Manoli company, this one based in Georgia, certified the ship as seaworthy — even though it was in such bad shape it was impounded in Spain days later.
*At the time of the Rhosus’ last voyage, Manoli was in debt to FBME, a Lebanese-owned bank that lost multiple licenses for alleged money laundering offenses, including helping the Shia militant group Hezbollah and a company linked to Syria’s weapons of mass destruction program. At one stage, the Rhosus was offered up as collateral to the bank.
*The ultimate customer for the ammonium nitrate on the ship, a Mozambican explosives factory, is part of a network of companies previously investigated for weapons trafficking and allegedly supplying explosives used by terrorists.The factory never tried to claim the abandoned material.
*The intermediary for the shipment, a British company that was dormant at the time, convinced a Lebanese judge in 2015 to get the ammonium nitrate tested for quality with the intent of claiming it. The stockpile was found to be in poor condition, and the company, Savaro Limited, did not try to take back the ammonium nitrate in the end.

[Zip-in-Z]

Interesting video, they shared some good info. This before & after pic says it all.

D.






.