Ship Cited in Beirut Blast Hasn’t Sailed in 7 Years. We Found It.

Ship Cited in Beirut Blast Hasn’t Sailed in 7 Years. We Found It.
Christoph Koettl 7 Aug 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/world/middleeast/lebanon-explosion-sh...

The explosive material responsible for the Aug. 4 blast in Beirut was carried there by the ailing cargo ship Rhosus in 2013. Here’s what happened next.

Credit...Anthony Vrailas, via MarineTraffic.com

On Nov. 21, 2013, at 11:27 a.m., a leaky ship arrived in Beirut’s port. It never left, and its volatile cargo would lead to tragedy in the city almost seven years later. The Rhosus was loaded with 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which is believed to have blown up most of the port and damaged large parts of the city when it ignited in a warehouse on Aug. 4.

The former captain of the ship, Boris Prokoshev, told The New York Times that he heard from other sailors that the Rhosus sank in 2015 or 2016. This time frame turned out to be incorrect. Using satellite imagery analysis and ship tracking data, our Visual Investigations unit went back in time to follow the ship that brought the disastrous cargo to Beirut. We found its exact location, where it remains hidden a short distance from Beirut’s ground zero.

The timeline and location of the Rhosus in Beirut gained new relevance on Friday as Lebanon’s president, Michael Aoun, said that an investigation into the incident will also focus on how the explosive materials entered and were stored in the area.
Final Voyage

The Rhosus left for its last journey from Batumi, Georgia, in September 2013. Its cargo was destined for Mozambique, but the captain was ordered to make an unscheduled stop in Beirut to take on additional freight. Captain Prokoshev said they needed to make extra cash to pay for their passage through the Suez Canal. Lawyers for the ship’s creditors said the additional cargo was supposed to be transported to Jordan.

Seizure

In Beirut, port authorities impounded the 27-year-old ship after they found multiple deficiencies, according to a maritime news article from 2014. The captain and some of his crew were ordered to stay on board.

A photo from 2014 shows him with some of the 2,750 bags of ammonium nitrate in the port. These bags match the bags photographed later at the warehouse that eventually blew up, posted by a Lebanese journalist on Twitter after the incident. The warehouse pictures also show the name of the company: Rustavi Azot L.L.C. of Georgia, which is also listed on the 2013 shipping documents for the voyage.

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