UP FRONT 01
EDITOR’S LETTER
The tragic explosion in the port of Beirut on 4 August was, as
All these are exceptional situations; the fact is, ammonium
we so often hear, “an accident waiting to happen”. Some 2,750
nitrate is stored in significant quantities in many ports and
tonnes of ammonium nitrate, taken from a ship impounded in
terminals around the world, as well as in manufacturing plants
the port seven years ago – and later abandoned, along with its
and warehouses and at end-user facilities. Ammonium nitrate,
cargo, by the shipowner and cargo interests – exploded after
properly handled, is stable and has many uses, primarily in
a fire broke out. At the time of writing, the death toll is put at
fertilisers and in mining explosives. That explosion hazard has
more than 200, with many thousands more injured.
also long been used by terrorists, including the Provisional IRA
The event also destroyed the port facilities – the main import
and the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh. As a result,
hub for Lebanon – and the surrounding area, and damaged
in this security-conscious world, stocks of ammonium nitrate
much of the city, still recovering from decades of war and terrorist
are – or at least should be – properly monitored.
activity. Alongside the human toll, the continuing destruction of
If this were a transport-related incident, we can be sure that
what was once known as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’ is also
the regulators would be taking urgent action, putting in place
a great loss to humanity.
strict provisions. Indeed, there are several UN entries covering
The 4 August blast immediately reminds us of the similarly
the substance in its various forms, placing it in either Class 1,
devastating explosion in the port of Tianjin, China in 2015,
Division 5.1 or Class 9, depending on its purpose and the
again caused by illegally stored ammonium nitrate, and
degree of hazard presented. Those regulations are observed
also the 2013 explosion at the West Fertilizer plant in Texas.
in international transport and in many countries, not just in
In all three cases, the incident began with a fire and the
the developed world, for land transport.
blast happened when firefighters were on scene; many
But there is no comparable set of global regulations for
were killed – including volunteer firefighters in the West
the storage of dangerous goods. GHS contains provisions on
Fertilizer incident.
classification and health and environmental hazards, as well
But if the Beirut blast was an accident waiting to happen,
as physical hazards, but does not specify how materials should
how many other accidents are out there just a spark away from
be stored or handled. Quite often the details are left to local
happening? Officials in Chennai, India are waking up to the
legislators – port authorities, fire departments, and so on – who
hazards posed by ammonium nitrate in warehouses, stored
may or may not have the expertise to set those rules. And to
there after being impounded by customs authorities. A similar
a large extent it relies on those actually doing the storage and
situation exists in Aden in Yemen, where an estimated 4,900
handling to declare that they have goods on site. And, as we have
tonnes of ammonium nitrate is alleged to have been sitting
seen, there are plenty of reasons for not making that declaration.
in containers at the port for three years.
Peter Mackay
WWW.HCBLIVE.COM
