Senegal seeks to move huge ammonium nitrate stock from Dakar port

Dakar

Senegalese officials say they have asked for 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate - the chemical which caused a huge explosion in Beirut - to be removed from Dakar.

The amount in Dakar's port, which is near residential areas, is nearly as much as was in the Lebanese capital.

Officials say the chemical is part of a 3,050-tonne consignment destined for neighbouring Mali.

Port officials say 350 tonnes has already been transported there.

The government says the owner of the consignment has asked to store the chemical in a warehouse at Diamniadio, about 30km (20 miles) from Dakar.

But the ministry of environment has not yet approved the request, saying the site has not met all the required conditions, including carrying out an environmental and social impact study.

"We have asked the owner to make arrangements so that the product can be transported outside Senegal," one of the ministry officials Baba Drame told the AFP news agency.

It is not clear who the owner of the consignment is and what they intend to use it for in Mali.

Port officials have not disclosed the date when the shipment arrived at the port.

Moving the consignment to Mali poses a challenge given the current political uncertainty after the recent military coup there, which overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

The explosion in Beirut devastated the city centre, killing more than 200 people, and damaged buildings across the city.

Credit-BBC

Comments

Earthquake with 3.3 magnitude hits Southern England

An earthquake measuring 3.3 magnitude on the Richter scale has struck southern England. According to the British Geological Survey (BGS) quake maps, the epicentre was in 3km northwest of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, and recorded at a depth of 10km. The tremor caused houses to shake as far away as London, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, and High Wycombe. Residents reported feeling the tremors at 9.45am in parts of London. One person on the EMSC site wrote: "It felt horrible. The whole house was shaking as if something huge and very heavy hit the roof or my neighbours house (they're end of terrace). I never suspected we'd have it in here." Another person wrote: "I felt it very clearly. The first wave shook the house a bit and then some little vibrations during 5 seconds.. but my wife, at home with me, did not feel anything.. Nice experience!" The British Geological Survey confirmed it is investigating reports of an earthquake which they describe...

Covid-19 patient 'is raped by an ambulance driver while being taken to hospital' in India

A 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an ambulance driver on her way to the hospital after she tested positive for COVID-19. The teenage girl was reportedly attacked by a man known as V Noufal, 29, while on their way to the Firstline Covid Treatment Centre in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India, on Saturday night, September 5. Noufal was arrested on Sunday morning September 6, after the victim told a staff of the hospital about the alleged incident when she arrived in Pandalam. After his arrest, Police said he had not obtained the mandatory clearance certificate before joining as a driver. Health Minister KK Shailaja described the attack in Kerala as 'shocking' and 'inhuman'. A health department official told The Indian Express that the driver is usually sent alone to a particular locality to pick up patients to limit the exposure of health workers. The official said: 'The driver’s chambe...

NDLEA arrests 131 suspects, seizes 263 kg illicit drugs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kwara State on Monday said the agency arrested 131 suspects and seized 263.752 kg illicit drugs in 12 months. The Commander of the agency in Kwara State, Ona Ogilegwu, made the disclosure in Ilorin, the state capital at a press conference to mark the 2018 United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking. The commander, who said that the suspects comprised 115 males and 16 females, added that 18 persons were convicted and committed to prison. Mr Ogilegwu noted that the drugs seized were 203.502kgs of Cannabis Sativa, 876 bottles of Codeine and 60.25 kg of psychotropic substances. He said the theme, “Listen First,’’ was to draw attention to the need to listen to children and youths in order to help them overcome drug-induced stress. “Our routine is to cut the chain of supply of illicit drugs to have...

Startech Safety And Security News Blog

Search This Blog