The saga involving the Rhosus, a Russian-owned cargo ship left abandoned in Beirut, is one not unfamiliar to Newfoundland and Labrador.
The vessel, bound for Mozambique with a cargo of ammonium nitrate on board, was initially detained in 2013, and then abandoned in Beirut.
(Photo via Twitter.)
The highly explosive cargo was eventually moved to a warehouse, where it was accidentally detonated by a spark from a welding torch, leveling a huge part of the Lebanese capital and killing hundreds.
Abandoned vessels have also attracted headlines in this province with incidents in Argentia and Bay Roberts, and the infamous Lyubov Orlova in St. John’s Harbour.
(Removal of the Sekme and Treimani trawlers from Bay Roberts. Still image from YouTube video.)
Heather Elliott is the author of the blog The Original Shipster. She says the cost of fees or repairs simply isn’t worth the trouble for the owners of some decrepit vessels.
She says it’s easier for them to cut their losses, while chasing owners to pay up requires lengthy court battles or even political intervention.
Elliott says as seen in Beirut, dealing with an abandoned boat, or its cargo, is not high on a political to-do list.
