Beirut explosion: Where else is ammonium nitrate stored?

Following the destruction caused by ammonium nitrate exploding in the port of Beirut, there are worldwide concerns about its storage.

The chemical is widely used around the world, as a fertilizer or for explosives in mining.

But there are strict regulations about where it can be kept and for how long.

And the location is often kept secret because of its potential for making bombs.

India

Some 740 tons were stored in 37 containers 700m (half a mile) from a residential area, about 20km outside Chennai, one of the most important cities of India, for five years, while the authorities in the southern state of Tamil Nadu fought a legal battle fought against a company that had imported it from South Korea, in 2015, claiming it was for agricultural purposes.

The consignment was denied appointment.

And the investigation revealed that the company had:

• has obtained the substance under an invalid license
• sold it to “unidentified individuals” and companies previously involved in mining

A small amount was removed after it was damaged in 2015 by floods.

And the remaining 697 tons are now on safe and transported to the neighboring state of Telangana.

Yemen

The Attorney General of war-torn Yemen has launched an investigation into media reports claiming that more than 100 containers of ammonium nitrate are being stored at the southern port of Aden.

They say the chemical was imported and seized three years ago by Saudi leading troops supporting the UN-recognized government.

Aden Governor Tariq Salam said: “The forces deployed in this port are responsible for storing this dangerous cargo, which is estimated to store 4,900 tons of ammonium nitrate stored on 130 shipping containers.”

But the Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation of the Yemeni government said the containers were actually used for “organic urea, used as agricultural fertilizer”.

“They are not yet explosive or radioactive materials,” it said.

“And it is not forbidden to manage or preserve them.”

Iraq

The Iraqi government has ordered a direct assessment of hazardous materials at ports and airports and found that ammonium nitrate was stored at Baghdad International Airport.

“The Directorate of Military Engineering of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense … safely transporting very dangerous materials from the air cargo section at Baghdad airport … to its destination, the warehouses of the Military Engineering Directorate,” tweeted military officer on 9 August.

Australia

Even before the explosion in Beirut, people in Newcastle, New South Wales, asked for a large stock of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse 3 km from the city center to move or reduce.

But Orica, a company that supplies explosives to mining, said it was safely stored in areas that were “fireproof and built exclusively from non-flammable materials”.

And Southwest Australia Working Watchdog, SafeWork SA, said ammonium nitrate was stored at 170 heavily regulated and controlled sites in the region.

UK havens

An investigation has begun into the storage of ammonium nitrate at a major port in Lincolnshire, Immingham, as well as elsewhere in the Humber region.

Associated British Ports (ABP), which runs the sites, said UK ports should follow strict regulations and ensure the substance was stored and handled safely.

Meanwhile, a company based in the port of Portsmouth, Portico, has withdrawn an application to store ammonium nitrate, saying the substance would not pass through the site.

Although the announcement came shortly after the Beirut explosion, the company said it was for business reasons only.

Richard Brough, International Coordinating Association of International Freight Handlers, said ammonium nitrate “is regulated because it is a registered hazardous substance”.

“On its own, it’s a relatively safe substance,” he said.

“But where it becomes a problem is when it becomes contaminated, for example with oil.”

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