The port of Senegal's capital Dakar on Thursday said it had requested the removal of around 2,700 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored in its complex — the same volume of the chemical that caused Beirut's devastating port blast this month, according to Reuters. The unidentified owner of the stockpile has found a warehouse to store the industrial chemical outside the city, according to the general directorate of the port, which sits next to Dakar's densely populated downtown. "He is currently working with the Environment Ministry to obtain approval to urgently remove this cargo," it said in a statement. The port strictly adheres to international rules for the management and storage of dangerous materials, it said. On Aug. 4, a massive blast in Beirut's port left about 150 fatalities and thousands of injured. Preliminary inquiries concluded a stockpile of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate caused the explosion. The cargo was stored inappropriately for over six years in a port warehouse. The ammonium nitrate is commonly used in pyrotechnics as well as an agricultural fertilizer, and it is not a combustible substance by itself. — SPA
