13 Aug 2020, 10:10 am
13 Aug 2020, 1:32 pm
The FBI will join Lebanese and other international investigators in the probe of the massive explosion at Beirut's port that killed more than 170 people, injured thousands and caused widespread destruction, a U.S. diplomat said Thursday.
Lebanese authorities had invited the FBI to take part, and it is one way that Washington can help the country deal with the effects of the disaster, said U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale as he toured the Gemayezeh neighborhood, which was damaged by the Aug. 4 blast.
"The FBI will soon join Lebanese and international investigators at the invitation of the Lebanese in order to help answer questions that I know everyone has about the circumstances that led up to this explosion," he told reporters.
It is still not known what caused the fire responsible for igniting nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that were stored for years in Beirut's port. But documents have emerged that show the country's top leadership and security officials were aware of the stockpile. French investigators are also taking part in the probe.
Source: Beirut blast: US official says FBI will join investigation
There is one thing that bothers me about the narrative thus far.
Ammonium nitrate decomposes, non-explosively, into the gases nitrous oxide and water vapor when heated. However, it can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation. It is normally used as a fertilizer in farming and is fairly safe. It can detonate from a fire but that is fairly rare. There was a massive amount of grains stored there. The grain silos structure at the port can hold 120,000 tons of grain. [The silos destroyed in the deadly Tuesday explosion contained about 15,000 tonnes of grain at the time} It was destroyed in the explosion. The dust in grain silos have been the cause of many grain silo explosions. So perhaps the fire on the port may have set off a grain silo explosion that in turn detonated the stockpile of ammonium nitrate causing the final explosion.
13 Aug 2020, 3:18 pm
The_Face_of_Boo
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14 Aug 2020, 9:04 am
14 Aug 2020, 6:24 pm
The_Face_of_Boo
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16 Aug 2020, 1:30 pm
Lebanese authorities had invited the FBI to take part, and it is one way that Washington can help the country deal with the effects of the disaster, said U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale as he toured the Gemayezeh neighborhood, which was damaged by the Aug. 4 blast.
"The FBI will soon join Lebanese and international investigators at the invitation of the Lebanese in order to help answer questions that I know everyone has about the circumstances that led up to this explosion," he told reporters.
It is still not known what caused the fire responsible for igniting nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that were stored for years in Beirut's port. But documents have emerged that show the country's top leadership and security officials were aware of the stockpile. French investigators are also taking part in the probe.
Source: Beirut blast: US official says FBI will join investigation
There is one thing that bothers me about the narrative thus far.
Ammonium nitrate decomposes, non-explosively, into the gases nitrous oxide and water vapor when heated. However, it can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation. It is normally used as a fertilizer in farming and is fairly safe. It can detonate from a fire but that is fairly rare. There was a massive amount of grains stored there. The grain silos structure at the port can hold 120,000 tons of grain. [The silos destroyed in the deadly Tuesday explosion contained about 15,000 tonnes of grain at the time} It was destroyed in the explosion. The dust in grain silos have been the cause of many grain silo explosions. So perhaps the fire on the port may have set off a grain silo explosion that in turn detonated the stockpile of ammonium nitrate causing the final explosion.
If you look at the label on the bag:
And google "Nitroprill hd" you will find that this one is used for explosives, not for fertilizers, some results:
http://www.oricaminingservices.com/au/e ... tropril/56
Now some VERY recent history before the blast:
https://www.ajc.org/news/hezbollah-nefa ... actsheet-7
(Besides, why workers would take photos of themselves?).
What led to their blast may had been accident....or not; regardless of what blew it up but I hardly believe that their existence there for years was due to a "bankrupted" cargo ship, the whole thing seems to be a cover up for an illegal purchase.
In September 2013 the freighter was chartered to carry a cargo of high-density ammonium nitrate from Rustavi Azot in Georgia to be delivered to Fabrica de Explosivos in Matola, Mozambique. On 27 September 2013, Rhosus set sail from Batumi bound to Beira carrying 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in bags,[11][12][13] a cargo which the captain regarded as "dangerous", but not so dangerous that it could not be transported.[14] On 21 November 2013, the ship ported in Beirut.[15][12][13] Some sources stated that it was forced to port due to mechanical issues and possibly engine problems,[16][17] while other sources claimed that the owner did not have sufficient funds to pay tolls for the Suez Canal and attempted but failed to take on a shipment of heavy machinery in Beirut.[b][18][3] The heavy machinery was stacked over the hatch leading to the cargo space containing the ammonium nitrate, causing the hatch covers to buckle and damaging the ship.[19][20] After inspection by port state control, Rhosus was found unseaworthy, and it was forbidden to set sail.[16][17] Eight Ukrainians and one Russian were aboard,[c] and with the help of a Ukrainian consul, five Ukrainians were repatriated,[when?] leaving the Russian captain and three Ukrainian crew members—the chief engineer, the third engineer, and the boatswain—to take care of the ship.[d][5][17][21]
So a guy who could buy goods worth of ~$700K yet was unable to anticipate passage tolls? Hmmm....
16 Aug 2020, 2:40 pm
auntblabby
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16 Aug 2020, 5:37 pm
17 Aug 2020, 3:54 am
The_Face_of_Boo
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17 Aug 2020, 10:31 am
17 Aug 2020, 10:52 am
The_Face_of_Boo
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18 Aug 2020, 4:34 am
18 Aug 2020, 4:59 am
The_Face_of_Boo
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18 Aug 2020, 5:16 am
The_Face_of_Boo
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20 Aug 2020, 8:56 am
20 Aug 2020, 8:58 am
