Lebanon seeks arrest of owner and captain of the ship that brought deadly ammonia nitrate to Beirut port

Lebanon requested yesterday international arrest warrants against Igor Grechushkin and Boris Prokoshev, the Russian owner and the captain of the Rhosus, a general cargo ship that brought 2,750 tons of ammonia nitrate to Beirut seven years ago, cargo that eventually caused the massive port blast in August this year.

The ageing Moldovan-flagged ship picked up the ammonium nitrate in Georgia destined for an explosives company in Mozambique. It stopped in Beirut port to pick up extra cargo where it was impounded by port authorities. The cargo was moved to a nearby warehouse a year later, while the abandoned, decaying vessel sank in the port in February 2018.

More than 20 arrests have been made in the investigations so far.