More than 2 months have passed since the catastrophic Beirut Port explosion, and the investigation into the deadly blast has yet to produce a verdict.
Recently, the investigation obtained new data from the Jordanian authorities, which had been conducting a probe into the infamous MS Rhosus ship that transported nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate to Beirut Port in 2013.
Upon the request of Judge Ghassan Oueidat, Lebanon’s State Prosecutor, the Jordanian State Prosecutor recently conducted an investigation into several people believed to be involved in the process of allowing the dangerous shipment to unload in Beirut.
Accordingly, the testimonies of the suspects were taken by the Jordanian authorities, and the findings were sent to Beirut.
In Lebanon, the Jordanian report was forwarded to Judge Fadi Sawan, the judicial inspector in the Beirut Port explosion case, who had issued arrest warrants for the Moldova-flagged ship’s captain and its owner, both of whom are nowhere to be found.
It’s noteworthy that the ammonium-nitrate-loaded MS Rhosus was initially headed from Georgia to Mozambique before it deviated from its course upon the request of its owner.
It later docked in Beirut to load and transport equipment used in seismic surveys to Jordan.
However, the ship was worn out and unable to load the additional equipment, and the company that owned the equipment had to transport it to Jordan aboard another ship, according to the National News Agency.
With Jordan’s report secured, Lebanon is still awaiting a response from the authorities of Mozambique on the same matter, as the local probe continues.
