What Happens When Tycoons Abandon Their Own Giant Cargo Ships
K Oanh Ha and Bruce Stanley, Bloomberg News The Aug. 4 explosion in the Port of Beirut tore through major grain silos. Photographer: Hasan Shaaban/Bloomberg , Bloomberg
(Bloomberg) From the deck of their tanker, Captain Samig Nabiyev and his crew could see the smoke and fire rising over the Port of Beirut, 900 meters away. When the flaming warehouse exploded, the force of the blast knocked Nabiyev flat on his back.
âI thought I was finished,â said the 43-year-old Nabiyev, whoâs worked on ships for almost 20 years. âWe were all afraid for our lives.â