Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat (second to the right) and Environment Minister Tamara al-Zein (first to the left) at Beirut Port on May 19, 2025. (Credit: Stephanie Bechara)
BEIRUT — Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat, accompanied by Environment Minister Tamara al-Zein, visited the Beirut Port on Monday to assess problems associated with the damaged grain silos from the 2020 Port explosion, as part of the economy ministry’s strategy for sustainable rehabilitation and treatment of Port-related files.
Also present were the General Director of the Temporary Committee for the Management and Investment of the Port of Beirut Omar Itani, Secretary General of the National Council for Scientific Research (NCRS) Ghaleb Husseini, the Director General of Grains and Sugar Beets Assad Haddad, and the Director of Silos Issam Abu Joudeh.
A massive explosion on Aug. 4, 2020 – triggered by the ignition of improperly stored ammonium nitrate – ravaged the capital, killing at least 218 people. The Port's silos, standing adjacent to the blast site, absorbed part of the explosion's force, shielding Beirut from even greater devastation.
Today, fermentation of wheat (estimated at 4,000 tons) inside the silos is posing serious environmental risks.
“Wheat fermentation is producing bacteria that cause elevated temperatures and lead to small fires inside the silos. The bacteria are also eating at the internal structure of the containers, which could eventually reach their metal foundations and create new catastrophes in the longer term,” explained Christian Cremona, CEO of ezoMED, a manufacturer of water-based disinfectants, who was also present on the ground.
Several teams inspecting the site rePortedly suffered from diarrhea and other health-related issues after visiting the silos and their surroundings, while air tests confirmed contamination by toxins up to one kilometer away in the capital.
To that end, “we requested the formation of a committee of experts to study the issues at hand and propose the best scientific solutions to address problems that have remained unresolved since the explosion,” said Zein.
Bisat told L’Orient Today that his ministry will be working on addressing key issues: the first and most immediate one being wheat fermentation – which could addressed in the coming weeks. Second would be determining the fate of the existing silos.
“The structure that exists today is destroyed and cannot be presumably rehabilitated and the silos pose a danger as they could fall. We will be working on a longer-term strategy, that could take a year or two to tackle, as we need to assess the construction of new silos, where those will be built, how large they will be, how much they will cost and who will be funding the project,” said Bisat. “We’re also looking into potential other regions like Tripoli, Saida or even the Bekaa.”
The ministry will also be working closely with the culture ministry and the families of the explosion victims to discuss the potential establishment of a memorial.
