Beirut Port Explosion

[taildragger]

Rare indeed is the expression of relief that there was a grain silo in proximity to an explosion.

In this particular case, it acted like a shield, protecting sectors of the city.

I'm sure that the grain silo took considerable energy out of the blast by partially collapsing, but I'd think that the blast energy would diffract around the sructure so that there was no fullly protected "shadow" behind it.

 

[SOC]

I'm sure that the grain silo took considerable energy out of the blast by partially collapsing, but I'd think that the blast energy would diffract around the sructure so that there was no fullly protected "shadow" behind it.

The structures opposite it on the western side of the pier were also totally destroyed, but damage didn't extend quite as far in that direction, so there's that.

 

[Ray]

I am reminded of the Texas City explosion in 1947. The Wikipedia article explains the process of the explosion quite well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_disaster

 

[Orionblamblam]

They were incredibly lucky to have that grain silo exactly at this spot.

Rare indeed is the expression of relief that there was a grain silo in proximity to an explosion.

Rarer still is a comment about it.

Oh, I dunno... I grew up in grain silo country, and the damn things blew up with irritating regularity, and with impressive force. Not "was that a small nuke" force like Beirut, but still enough to wreak havoc. And thus, such things get commented upon.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t5iTunRkO4


This time, though, the grain served not as a source of destruction, but as a shock absorber. I still wonder if the red cloud was dust and grain and dirt rather than AN reaction products.

 

[Orionblamblam]

Here's an interesting view of the blast. Looks like it was filmed with a drone.
EDIT: The camera was probably hand-held, but on a gimbal system.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L7SlqDtRnc

 

[Trident]

That Wilson cloud is something else - the way it is visibly affected by the buildings it passes as it approaches makes it look like a stampeding animal! Unpleasantly suggestive of how powerful this blast was.

 

[Orionblamblam]

Seems the blast also took out a cruise ship:

Orient Queen Sinks in Beirut, Two Crew Reported Dead

https://twitter.com/x/status/1290963829401292801

View: https://twitter.com/cedar_news/status/1290963829401292801


Given it's location, the fact that it sank isn't exactly shocking.

 

[galgot]

Here's an interesting view of the blast. Looks like it was filmed with a drone.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L7SlqDtRnc

That vid is surreal.
And I hope the bride is fine.

 

[Avimimus]

And I hope the bride is fine.

In the long version of that video she can be seen walking away - but many other people weren't so lucky of course.

 

[Orionblamblam]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgOoeOPhDWY

 

[TomcatViP]

Maybe the Terror organisation model of hidding among civilians has reached an apogee (If ever there is one with those guys).

I can't stop thinking how convenient an abandonned ship full of this stuck right in the heart of a major city could have served the mad ambitions of such people (plenty of kaboom reserve (and rocket propellant) at hand reach with no risk of counter-fire).

 

[Trident]

This one is very close footage.

Hopefully he survived.

He appears to have been standing on the roof of that low building at the northern end of the grain elevator. Going by photos of the aftermath, this location was completely obliterated (or at least ended up buried underneath the rubble of the grain elevator).

Fingers crossed of course (and obviously his phone did survive), but he would have had to be extraordinarily lucky to get out of there alive

 

[Orionblamblam]

Fingers crossed of course (and obviously his phone did survive)

Unless he was live streaming. It really doesn't look like a survivable position to be in, but strange things happen in extraordinary circumstances.

 

[batigol]

A Bangladeshi missile corvette serving on a UN mission, the BNS Bijoy, was also docked nearby and suffered damage and some sailors were gravely wounded.

 

[sferrin]

For comparison, this is the explosion following a Saudi attack on a Houthi missile storage site. The "sparkles" seen in the fireball are interesting.

Daaaaaaaaaamn. That looks like one of those detonations they were doing back during Iraqi Freedom, where they were blowing off hundreds of tons of munitions at a time.

 

[TomS]

Maybe the Terror organisation model of hidding among civilians has reached an apogee (If ever there is one with those guys).

I can't stop thinking how convenient an abandonned ship full of this stuck right in the heart of a major city could have served the mad ambitions of such people (plenty of kaboom reserve (and rocket propellant) at hand reach with no risk of counter-fire).

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here? That some terrorists arranged to deliver several thousand tons of ammonium nitrate to Beirut 7 years ago by having a ship owned and crewed by Russians and Ukrainians and destined for Mozambique suffer a mechanical breakdown, cleverly waited until the cargo was moved from the ship to a warehouse after a year of bureaucratic wrangling, ensured that no one properly disposed of the material for half a decade, then set it off?

Please! The usual terrible state of lower-tier merchant shipping, the dodgy finances of shipowners and cargo brokers, the typical dysfunction of the Lebanese government, and simple negligence by a hapless (and now presumably vaporized) welder are more that sufficient to explain this catastrophe.

 

[TomS]

Suck it up, the moron never suggested what's in your own bizarre mind. A depot: the usage of a conveniently abandonned ship with a frightfully quantity of explosive material right in the middle of a city.

Haven't some of those guys hosted head-quarters and arm depots in hospital, refugee camp etc...

The cargo was no longer on the ship, it was in a warehouse. And the folks in charge of said warehouse were checking in one the contents regularly, and almost as regularly complaining to the judicial authorities that the stuff was still there and still a massive hazard, and could they please give it to the army for disposal, or sell it to a legitimate explosives manufacturer, or something, anythign to make it go away.

Now, if the contents of that warehouse was widely known, I'm sure nefarious actors might have been interested in appropriating some of it (who would miss one or two bags out of 2700?) But Lebanese Hezbollah seems to have regular enough sources of supply (Iran) that they don't need to rely on midnight requisitions of improvised materials with dubious provenance and an unclear history.

It still seems like you're suggesting that someone set off this cataclysm deliberately, a claim for which there is ZERO evidence and not very much motive. If you mean something else, speak more clearly. Don't hint and imply, say what you mean outright.

 

[TomcatViP]

I never said that. And it would be fair for Mods to not only moderate my posts.

who would miss one or two bags out of 2700?)

This is exactly what I am saying. And don't forget that rockets can use this as a propellant also. Not something unheard in the region...

 

[TomcatViP]

How can someone directly insults another forumer and not being moderated when reported?

By the way the expression I used has nothing sexual. I am confused my post was so hastily erased... Was that 1 min 30s?!

 

[Orionblamblam]

And don't forget that rockets can use this as a propellant also.

Not a *good* propellant. Theoretically you can get decent performance out of it, but AN has the unfortunate habit of undergoing crystalline phase changes at room temperature, with some noticeable changes in density. This results in solid propellant being forced to expand or contract, and usually the end result is cracking. A rocket motor with AN propellant stands a not-unreasonable chance of going high order the moment you touch it off unless you've kept it thermally stable since manufacture.

 

[TomS]

who would miss one or two bags out of 2700?)

This is exactly what I am saying. And don't forget that rockets can use this as a propellant also. Not something unheard in the region...

I'm still not sure what your point is. If you're just talking about the possibility that someone stole a portion of the cargo, that would be irrelevant to the explosion. And fairly pointless, since there was basically a free flow of newly manufactured AN from Turkey into Syria for years during the height of the ISIS caliphate.

Fertilizer, Also Suited for Bombs, Flows to ISIS Territory From Turkey (Published 2015)

The fertilizer ammonium nitrate, which was used in explosives at the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995, has been moving into an extremist-controlled Syrian town in what appear to be large quantities.

www.nytimes.com

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

To feel insulted by "Yes, only a complete 'effing moron might suggest this was a deliberate attack" implied you believe this was a deliberate attack, and hence GTX is calling you a moron. So either that is what you are saying, or it isn't. If it isn't then GTX's comment doesn't apply to you, and noone is calling you a moron. Perhaps you could clearly explain what you did mean?

I broadly agree with Greg's post, though I wouldn't have been as blunt - the chance of this being a deliberate attack is close to zero, and suggesting that it was is only a relatively short leap from the braindead conspiracy loons yelling "ITS A MUSHROOM CLOUD OMG NUKEZ #PIZZAGATE #QANON".

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

How can someone directly insults another forumer and not being moderated when reported?

By the way the expression I used has nothing sexual. I am confused my post was so hastily erased... Was that 1 min 30s?!

Yeah, I was trying to clean up the topic but had a fire alarm. Once I got back to the forum the conversation had moved on.

 

[Orionblamblam]

the chance of this being a deliberate attack is close to zero,

Well... the idea that someone got access to the stash and decided to set it on fire is hardly "zero." Look at Portland or Minneapolis. Some people just want to watch the world burn, and to such types thousands of tons of flammable *anything* would be nigh-on invincibly tempting, especially if poorly guarded. Leaving politics and religion aside, a whole lot of people just like to cause mayhem.

In reality, a disaster like this hardly needs a terrorist mastermind or even a jackass with a lighter and an arson fetish. Any of a broad range of incompetence and misadventures could do it. But intentional jackassery is almost *never* "close to zero," especially when the site was this close to that many people.

 

[Orionblamblam]

Thuderf00t tackles the question "why is it red?" and concludes "it's probably dirt."

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsY6fznJ_I

 

[TomcatViP]

To feel insulted by "Yes, only a complete 'effing moron might suggest this was a deliberate attack" implied you believe this was a deliberate attack, and hence GTX is calling you a moron. So either that is what you are saying, or it isn't. If it isn't then GTX's comment doesn't apply to you, and noone is calling you a moron. Perhaps you could clearly explain what you did mean?

Well I did but you erased that comment. Anyway, reading the original post anyone can see that there is no controversy at all.
Sorry for the time lost.

 

[drejr]

Thuderf00t tackles the question "why is it red?" and concludes "it's probably dirt."

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsY6fznJ_I

Based on simplified chemical equations on Wikipedia?

Pure ammonium nitrate has at least seven reaction pathways depending on pressure and temperature. The cloud clearly has large amounts of nitrogen dioxide, water vapor, soot, and debris. Who knows what else.

 

[DWG]

And I hope the bride is fine.

In the long version of that video she can be seen walking away - but many other people weren't so lucky of course.

She's interviewed here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/v...explosion-hit-during-wedding-photoshoot-video

 

[riggerrob]

Assuming that the explosion was caused by stupidity, neglect, incompetence, etc. ... who could profit from this disastrous explosion?

Large international relief organizations (like U.N.) are already saying that they will not channel relied funds through the Lebanese gov't for fear that politicians and bureaucrats will pocket money while leaving wounded to starve.
Instead, relief organizations are promising to pay directly to the wounded.

Otherwise, medical, construction, transportation, etc. industries could profit.

 

[TomS]

Thought folks might be interested in this CFD simulation of the blast that some analysts put together. If does seem to show a significant reflection of the blast off the grain silos, making the blast effects very asymmetrical.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1291566840376852481

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/i/web/status/1291566840376852481

 

[GTX]

To feel insulted by "Yes, only a complete 'effing moron might suggest this was a deliberate attack" implied you believe this was a deliberate attack, and hence GTX is calling you a moron. So either that is what you are saying, or it isn't. If it isn't then GTX's comment doesn't apply to you, and noone is calling you a moron. Perhaps you could clearly explain what you did mean?

I broadly agree with Greg's post, though I wouldn't have been as blunt - the chance of this being a deliberate attack is close to zero, and suggesting that it was is only a relatively short leap from the braindead conspiracy loons yelling "ITS A MUSHROOM CLOUD OMG NUKEZ #PIZZAGATE #QANON".

Just to be clear, my comment was not directed at anyone on this forum but rather someone else who suggested it was an attack.

 

[TomcatViP]

Amazing. The 3d model is probably an aerial laser scan made from an earlier infrastructure project for the city.
The company hosting both CFD engineers is dedicate to architecture and digital design, wich include now a vaste panel of simulation engineers.

A (wild) guess for the simulation software would be Star CCM (Siemens)

 

[Orionblamblam]

Assuming that the explosion was caused by stupidity, neglect, incompetence, etc. ... who could profit from this disastrous explosion?

Glazier unions. {shakes fist}

 

[trose213]

Assuming that the explosion was caused by stupidity, neglect, incompetence, etc. ... who could profit from this disastrous explosion?

Glazier unions. {shakes fist}

Maybe they conspired with the door hanging union.

 

[TomS]

Amazing. The 3d model is probably an aerial laser scan made from an earlier infrastructure project for the city.
The company hosting both CFD engineers is dedicate to architecture and digital design, wich include now a vaste panel of simulation engineers.

A (wild) guess for the simulation software would be Star CCM (Siemens)

It's a weapons effects modeling tool called VIPER::BLAST. Whether it is a stand-alone tool or there is an underlying sim software package, I don't know.

They have their own Twitter account, which has some other views and visualizations. Worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.

Viper::Blast (@viperblast42) on Twitter

 

[Orionblamblam]

Assuming that the explosion was caused by stupidity, neglect, incompetence, etc. ... who could profit from this disastrous explosion?

Glazier unions. {shakes fist}

Maybe they conspired with the door hanging union.

And the drywall cartels, the screen window magnates, the shopvac kingpins...

 

[GTX]

This horrible accident has killed at least 145 people and injured 5,000 by the last count I saw. Can we please stop treating it as a source of amusement and joking.

 

[Orionblamblam]

This horrible accident has killed at least 145 people and injured 5,000 by the last count I saw. Can we please stop treating it as a source of amusement and joking.

No.

All of life is misery and pain, crushing hopelessness topped off by either an instant snuffing out or months of illness-plagued agony, finally ending in oblivion. Find amusement where and when you can in the grim gap between darkness and darkness.

It took about ten milliseconds before people started coming up with jokes about the Corona virus, and that has perhaps killed dozens of millions (some sketchy evidence of China shoveling 20 million or so dead under the rug). Humor is how humans get by.

Besides: the humor here isn't "ha ha stooopid dead people" or "ha ha I'm glad this happened" humor.

 

[Michel Van]

some info how they storage that 2740 tons

https://twitter.com/x/status/1291323480550645762

View: https://twitter.com/freefoIk74/status/1291323480550645762

https://twitter.com/x/status/1291486030458224640

View: https://twitter.com/DimaSadek/status/1291486030458224640


this level of neglect i know only from Belgium
in 1942 similar disaster happen in Tessenderlo
for moment the Belgium authorities check storage of NH₄NO₃

 

[stealthflanker]

That's kind of poor storage there... those black things..probably years worth of dust.