In the wake of the tragedy in Beirut, can we expect to see more public calls for improved industrial safety in port cities?

This text is a translation of the opinion of Olivier LEMAIRE, Director General of AIVP, originally published on the LaTribune.fr website. ➡️ Read the original version on La Tribune website. After the terrible events that struck the port of Beirut on the evening of 4 August, and without wishing to prejudge the findings of the inquiry that has just begun, suspicion has already fallen on already well-known issues with the storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a chemical that can be highly-explosive in certain conditions. The international press is alive with remarks to the effect that many ports around the world are now potential “Beiruts”. Shocking images of the devastation wrought, not just to the port but to the wider city, have been seen around the globe, and residents of port cities are naturally worried. In 2015, after the terrible fire that ravaged the Chinese port of Tianjin and the resulting chemical pollution that severely affected the entire city, against a backdrop of negligence and corruption, citizens’ groups, politicians and international organisations called on the port authorities and the wider port community to tackle these safety concerns. That movement will no doubt be revived in the days and months ahead, as a result of the disaster in Beirut. Urban ports and industrial risks With the spectacular growth in international trade over a half-century of globalisation, the transport and storage of hazardous materials – often at the heart of densely-populated agglomerations – has naturally grown accordingly, and the risk of serious accidents with…