Here’s an article from six years ago about the nitrate. It’s translated from the Russian, so it might be a bit wonky, but the gist is that a Russian ship brought a cargo of ammonium nitrate to the port of Beirut in 2014 and was then held there for various infractions.
Российский экипаж молдавского судна «Rhosus» остался без средств к существованию в порту Бейрут. Команда находится на грани выживания. Об этом рассказала инспектор МФТ в Новороссийске Ольга Ананьина.
www.unionstoday.ru
The Russian crew of the Moldovan vessel "Rhosus" was left without a livelihood in the port of Beirut (Lebanon). The team is on the brink of survival. Olga Ananyina, an inspector of the International Federation of Transport Workers (ITF) in Novorossiysk, spoke about this.
- There are four people on board: the captain, the chief engineer, the third engineer and the boatswain. According to the captain, the Russian Consulate in Lebanon is not taking any measures to help the Russians.
The sailors reported that Rhosus was detained in Beirut due to gross violations of the ship's operating rules revealed by PSC inspectors during the inspection, as well as non-payment of wages. The ship owner, the Cypriot company Teto Shipping, has no money to pay off debts to the crew and the port.
In addition to the above problems, the crew is alarmed by the fact that in the holds of the ship "Rhosus" there is a particularly dangerous cargo - ammonium nitrate (ammonium nitrate). The port authorities of Beirut do not allow the unloading or reloading of cargo to another vessel. This fact further complicates the already difficult situation of seafarers.
The Russian crew of the Moldovan vessel "Rhosus" was left without a livelihood in the port of Beirut (Lebanon). The team is on the brink of survival. Olga Ananyina, an inspector of the International Federation of Transport Workers (ITF) in Novorossiysk, spoke about this.
- There are four people on board: the captain, the chief engineer, the third engineer and the boatswain. According to the captain, the Russian Consulate in Lebanon is not taking any measures to help the Russians.
The sailors reported that Rhosus was detained in Beirut due to gross violations of the ship's operating rules revealed by PSC inspectors during the inspection, as well as non-payment of wages. The ship owner, the Cypriot company "Teto Shipping", has no money to pay off debts to the crew and the port.
In addition to the above problems, the crew is alarmed by the fact that in the holds of the ship "Rhosus" there is a particularly dangerous cargo - ammonium nitrate (ammonium nitrate). The port authorities of Beirut do not allow the unloading or reloading of cargo to another vessel. This fact further complicates the already difficult situation of seafarers.