After the uproar caused by the chemical materials ship … the Ministry of Works will allow its entry to the port with this condition

The Information Office of the Minister of Public Works and Transport of the interim government, Michel Najjar, stated that the media “are reporting on the presence of a ship containing chemical materials transported in transit to Syria, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is interested in clarifying that on 01/13/2021 it received the ministry “. “An urgent telegram from a competent security authority, containing information on the arrival of a ship from China, containing 10 containers containing sodium sulfide, to be sent by transit to Syria. These materials have military, medical, and other uses. industrial and chemical “.

The statement adds: “On 01/14/2021, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, according to its submission No. 31 / N / 21, the Beirut Port Administration, notified the entry of that ship except on the condition that it did not the ten containers will be lowered “.

He continued: “The Beirut Port Administration, and in accordance with its reference number 215 on 01/14/2021, has stated that it is only possible to inspect the goods in the rest of the containers, so it will not be able to verify and conclusively that these containers do not contain materials similar to those in The Ten Containers.

Consequently, the Ministry ceased its work by reference No. 31 / N / 2021 and on 01/18/2021 it addressed the Ministry of National Defense, Army Command and Customs Directorate, to give an opinion and testimony on the possibility of entering to the ship and the required conditions. On 01/19/2021, the Ministry of National Defense expressed no objection to the unloading of that ship, with the exception of the containers containing sodium sulfide, provided that each of the containers to be unloaded is inspected separately to verify that it is free of this substance.

Based on the above, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation will allow the entry of said ship, provided that the containers containing sodium sulfide are not unloaded, and that the rest of the containers are subject to a verification mechanism of their content according to It is determined by the Ministry of National Defense and the Lebanese Army in accordance with all the conditions established by the General Directorate of Customs.