German experts find toxic materials, dismal safety at Beirut port
BEIRUT – German experts assisting with the recovery of large amounts of toxic chemicals in Beirut port, the site of a deadly explosion five months ago, have discovered dismal safety conditions there.
Huge amounts of toxic and flammable material were stored in the Lebanese capital for years without necessary safety measures, Michael Wentler, head of the German disposal firm Hoeppner told dpa.
Some of the chemicals had eaten through containers and leaked, likely into the sea, Wentler said.
Together with another German company, Combi Lift, Hoeppner is responsible for the recovery and disposal of 52 containers.
The Beirut port authority awarded the contract after an explosion last August which left more than 190 people dead.
The blast is believed to have been triggered by large amounts of improperly stored highly explosive ammonium nitrate.
Some chemicals had been in the Beirut port for 10 to 20 years, said Wentler, adding that the conditions there were “terrible,” some of the worst he had ever seen. It isn’t clear who the substances belong to.
“I don’t have a definitive answer for that especially since this happened many many years ago,” Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Michel Najar told dpa.
“This material has been sitting in the port for years,” he added.
One possible explanation is when a ship’s cargo list does not correspond to the material actually imported.
Wentler said the ground in the entire port area is highly contaminated and must be removed down to three to four meters deep. The recovered waste are shipped to Germany for disposal.
-dpa