Toxic time bomb averted: Hazardous flammable materials removed from Beirut Port

Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Nearly six years after the ammonium nitrate explosion that devastated Beirut on August 4, 2020, Lebanese authorities uncovered highly flammable petroleum-based materials that had remained stored at the port for more than a year and a half.

The case began in early 2026 when the Beirut Port Authority, headed by Marwan Naffi, discovered four 20-foot containers on Pier 8 leaking dangerous and highly combustible substances.

According to security information obtained by LBCI, the State Security office at Beirut Port informed Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, who ordered an immediate investigation. The probe found that the materials had been imported in October 2024 by a paint products company owned by Y. al-Kurdi, while M. Ghassani had handled customs clearance.

The containers had remained at the port since their arrival after customs experts determined that the contents did not comply with Lebanese standards. Customs authorities subsequently confiscated the shipment and imposed a $40,000 fine on al-Kurdi for the violation, but the hazardous materials remained stored at the port.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the public prosecutor ordered al-Kurdi to bear the cost of repackaging the dangerous substances into new tanks and containers after the original storage units had deteriorated. He was also instructed to re-export the materials immediately.

The substances were repackaged and shipped out of Lebanon on June 17, 2026.

The public prosecutor also ordered al-Kurdi to pay outstanding fees owed to the Beirut Port Authority totaling $11,000. Both al-Kurdi and customs broker Ghassani were released under residence bonds.

The discovery comes amid continuing sensitivities surrounding the storage of hazardous materials at Beirut Port following the 2020 ammonium nitrate blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, which killed more than 200 people and caused widespread destruction across the Lebanese capital.