Mr_Asa said:In reply to The0retical (Forum Supporter) :
Someone, or a lots of someones, are going to wrap that into one helluva conspiracy theory.
I've heard some already! Hanlon's Razor. Government red tape is the obvious answer here. Just amazing how much devastation that was.
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Mr_Asa :
Because bureaucratic negligence is just... too simple.
Ha! Yes this
The0retical (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Mr_Asa :
I'm a firm believer in Hanlon's Razor on this one.
Ha! Yes this. Every time
Streetwiseguy said:Pete. (l33t FS) said:In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Shockwaves ARE air pressure. That's all they are.
.Ok, but is the shockwave not the first, massive burst of air pressure? I would imagine standing behind the bunker, the air pressure would actually drop as the initial blast pulled the air along with it.
It's complicated... The shock wave moves at the speed of sound, and actually raises a small pressure wave in front of it. There was a great YouTube video about the phenomenon that I really wish I could find. But that is why you will see dust being raised in front of the actual "shock wave".
Yes, there can be effects from being in the lee of objects. There can also be reflected-wave effects that could make it worse. Think of the ripples in a pond reflecting off of objects on the surface.
The overpressure can be really nasty even without the direct shockwave blast. As well as all the flying debris from the preceding pressure wave.
bobzilla said:In reply to STM317 :
Quick google maps calculation that grain silo shows about 800' in length. That crater is almost as large as that, so figure 600' across. 190 meters would be 623 feet. I'd say this was more than a 0.0041Mt explosion. The depth of that crate is unknown because ocean.
Those numbers suggest the rough blast equivalent of ~100kt surface detonation.
In this picture, it looks like the blast blew the two cargo ships at the end of the pier onto their sides - essentially sunk.
It might be the angle of the shadows, but when comparing to the "before" picture, it also looks like the forward superstructure of the dock-side ship was blown off. Wow.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
It is also possible that the before picture was a pair of completely different ships. Ports load and unload ships fairly quickly
In reply to Mr_Asa :
Comparing the before/after pics, the 2 ships on the left that were moored together appear to be the same ones.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
I agree that they seem to be the same 2 ships. Probably full of abandoned murder hornets.
In case anyone was interested, this blast is about the middle of the historical list in terms of largest accidental conventional explosions/detonations by magnitude.
The 1947 Texas City Diasaster is considered the largest, and 581 people were killed.
The Halifax Explosion was 2nd, but because it happened during a time when the surrounding buildings were primarily wood construction, it's death toll was much higher, nearly 2,000. Is was more than twice the size of Beirut and far closer to the surrounding residential areas in the Port of Halifax.
A guy that worked in the port was found after 30 hours in the water. Somehow he was alive.
In reply to pheller :
I wondered how this compared to Halifax. Thanks!
Fueled by Caffeine said:Everyone is for laissez Faire system until they realize there is anti-freeze in their gatorade.
Dude I'm totally stealing this. I'm in the chemical business, this will get used frequently.
On 23 September 2013, the Moldovan-flagged cargo ship MV Rhosus set sail from Batumi, Georgia, to Beira, Mozambique, carrying 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. During the trip, it was forced to port in Beirut with engine problems. After inspection by Port State Control, the Rhosus was found unseaworthy, and it was forbidden to set sail. Eight Ukrainians and one Russian were aboard, and with the help of a Ukrainian consul, five Ukrainians were repatriated, leaving four crew members to take care of the ship.
The owner of the Rhosus went bankrupt, and after the charterers lost interest in the cargo, the owner abandoned the ship. The Rhosus then quickly ran out of provisions, while the crew were unable to disembark due to immigration restrictions. Creditors also obtained three arrest warrants against the ship. Lawyers argued for the crew's repatriation on compassionate grounds, due to the danger posed by the cargo still aboard the ship, and an Urgent Matters judge in Beirut allowed them to return home after having been stuck aboard the ship for about a year. The dangerous cargo was then brought ashore in 2014 and placed in a building, Hangar 12, at the port[clarification needed] for the next six years.
Various customs officials had sent letters to judges requesting a resolution to the issue of the confiscated cargo, proposing that the ammonium nitrate either be exported, given to the Army, or sold to the private Lebanese Explosives Company. Letters had been sent on 27 June 2014, 5 December 2014, 6 May 2015, 20 May 2016, 13 October 2016, and 27 October 2017. One of the letters sent in 2016 noted that judges had not replied to previous requests, and "pleaded":
“In view of the serious danger of keeping these goods in the hangar in unsuitable climatic conditions, we reaffirm our request to please request the marine agency to re-export these goods immediately to preserve the safety of the port and those working in it, or to look into agreeing to sell this amount”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Beirut_explosions?wprov=sfti1 https://maps.apple.com/?ll=33.901000,35.519000&q=2020%20Beirut%20explosions&_ext=EiQpVPPt91PzQEAxcMI3l27CQUA5VPPt91PzQEBBcMI3l27CQUA%3D
Regulations are worthless if no-one enforces them.
Sounds entirely, sadly, plausible. Still no explanation for why fireworks were allowed to be stored nearby.
In reply to nderwater :
As mentioned earlier: bureaucratic negligence. Left and right hands not talking to each other. Combined with a warehouse owner in need of income and what in hindsight is an obvious safety protocol gets overlooked.
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:Fueled by Caffeine said:Everyone is for laissez Faire system until they realize there is anti-freeze in their gatorade.
Dude I'm totally stealing this. I'm in the chemical business, this will get used frequently.
This is indeed perfect
When there's no will at the top level to enforce and abide by safety rules then they don't exist. I'm sure most of us have seen or heard of that same problem on a corporate level.
But of course our government would never disregard public safety because it was a hassle.
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