To avoid a similar scenario to the Beirut Port explosion, Iraq has emptied more than 2 dozen containers of hazardous materials at its ports.
The Iraqi Border Ports Authority announced Monday that it had emptied 35 containers from Iraq’s ports, particularly the northern and central ports of Umm Qasr, that contained highly dangerous chemicals.
The containers were unloaded safely and away from residential areas and public institutions, at the instructions of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, according to Iraqi media.
The Authority had established, on August 6th, 2020, a committee tasked with sorting high-risk chemical containers, including ammonium nitrate containers, on Iraqi territory to prevent explosions such as the massive one that rocked Beirut on August 4th.
Omar Al-Waili, the head of the Border Ports Authority, said in a statement that the important precautionary measures come “to avoid what happened in the brotherly state of Lebanon and the devastation caused by these explosions.”
In Beirut, a German firm has been working on removing containers of dangerous chemicals from the Port of Beirut following the blast. The firm recently revealed that it had transported what it called “a second bomb” from the Port.
In the meantime, the investigation into the deadly explosion has yet to yield an outcome, 6 months after the incident. The probe had been suspended for the past few weeks and will resume this week with several interrogations.
