The Shipping Laws That Could Have Averted Two Catastrophes This Week

  • Date: 09-Aug-2020
  • Source: Forbes
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:Lebanon
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The Shipping Laws That Could Have Averted Two Catastrophes This Week

Beirut's harbour devastated by the explosion of a huge depot of ammonium nitrate at the city's main ... [+] port



AFP via Getty Images

Bleak news this week has shone a light on the dark side of the shipping industry.

On Tuesday, Beirut was struck by the huge explosion of seized ammonium nitrate in the port, killing over 150 people, injuring 5000, with 300,000 made homeless, causing over $15 billion of damage including critical port infrastructure needed for food security.  The explosion was estimated as having the equivalent explosive power as 10% that of the Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WW2. The ammonium nitrate cargo had been confiscated from a Moldovan-registered vessel that had been in difficulty for several years prior.

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