- Messages
- 7,164
- Reactions
- Nation of residence
-
- Nation of origin
-
Commodore Mohammad Joynal Abedin, (ND), NGP, ndc, afwc, psc, PhD, BN
Abstract
The Beirut Port explosion on 4th August 2020, the most catastrophic incident in the recent history of disaster in the world, has been depicted with the attestation of an eye-witnessing experience in the article, specially from the perspective of the immediate action plan of disaster management and impediment caused-by. Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY deployed in Lebanon, as one of the naval units of UN Maritime Task Forces, was berthed at Beirut Port at the moment of the explosion.
Around 400 meters North of BNS BIJOY, a small fire broke out in the Port’s warehouse storing about 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate. Having simply been informed about the small fire incident and sensed something otherwise, I rushed with a bicycle to the place to observe the situation. Instantly after going there, I started returning, since the fire was getting increased drastically. When I was about 50 yards away from our ship BNS BIJOY, the explosion took place.
The havoc of the blast destroyed everything in the port and the city nearby and grounded almost everything, causing at least 200 deaths, over 7000 injuries and damaging properties of USD 10 to 15 Billion. BNS BIJOY had to endure severe injuries to personnel and damages to materials. In the course of evacuation and controlling the damage, the initiatives taken by the ships’ leadership, UNIFIL HQ and Bangladesh Navy Headquarters have remarkably been effective not only for BNS BIJOY, but for the entire area of the incident as well, keeping the whole range of lesson learned for future generations. Besides the lessons, a mere story narration of this article would touch the reader and carry them forward fur into the future in their memories.
Introduction
On 04 August 2020, a large amount of long-stored ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded causing at least 200 deaths, a few reported missing, over 7000 injuries, damaging property of US$10–15 billion, and leaving an estimated 3,00,000 people homeless. About 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) confiscated by the Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV RHOSUS, had beenstored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years.
The explosion was preceded by a fire in the same warehouse, but till now (as of September 2023), the exact cause of the detonation is under investigation. The explosion was felt in Turkey, Syria, Israel, Palestine, and parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus which is more than 150 miles away. It was detected by the United States Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history.
Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY deployed in UNIFIL as one of the Maritime Task Force units was berthed at Beirut for a port of call just in the morning of the day of the explosion. The ship was severely affected by the explosion. The sudden shock wave created from the explosion caused severe damage to the ship leaving about 36 of the crew injured of which a few of them were found in severe condition.
During the explosion BNS BIJOY was secured alongside pier number 06 about 400 meters away from the area of the explosion. The huge explosion caused material damage and human injuries to the ship. The explosion played havoc around vast areas across the Beirut city. As the ship was berthed close to the explosion area, it had experienced the grave blow of the explosion.
Office of UNIFIL Headquarters and Bangladesh Naval Headquarters were deeply concerned for the affected ship and her crew. The various crucial events aftermath of the explosion such as damage to the ship, casualty evacuation, medical treatment for the injured personnel, Navy high delegation team visit, UNIFIL high officials’ visit and their consecutive actions, friendly offer for repairing and docking of the damaged ship by Turkish Government etc. remain in memory as well as lessons for the future.
The Blast as I have Witnessed
On the afternoon 4 August 2020, the day was unlike any other day amidst severe COVID-19. At about 1755 in the afternoon, a small fire broke out in Warehouse 12 at the Port of Beirut, about 400 meters North to BNS BIJOY. Warehouse 12 was on the waterside and next to the grain silos; the warehouse stored the ammonium nitrate that had been confiscated from MV RHOSUS, alongside a “stash” of firecrackers. BNS BIJOY was on the opposite side of Silo. As commanding officer, I was informed that a small fire had broken out. Then and then, I decided to observe the fire by going to the scene of the fire by myself.
Then I took a bicycle and went near the warehouse where the fire took place. After going there, I saw a few people, mostly from the fire brigade, struggling to control the fire and a few of them were witnessing and recording video with their mobile phones. Observing the unusual situation, I decided to leave the place instantly; and while returning with the bicycle, the intensity of the fire was getting increased. Just after a few seconds, when I was near about 50 yards from our ship BIJOY, the catastrophic blast took place. It rocked central Beirut and threw a red-orange cloud into the air, which was briefly surrounded by a white condensed cloud.
The orange-red colour of the smoke was caused by nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of ammonium nitrate decomposition. The explosion was felt in northern Israel and in Cyprus, 240 kilometers (150 miles) away. It is circulated that there were two explosions on that day from the fire, but as an eyewitness, there was only one explosion that destroyed everything. The so-called first explosion was the sound of increasing intensity of fire from the firecrackers inside the warehouse. This first explosion was heard locally, and the impact was limited to the warehouse only.
The explosion destroyed everything in the port and the city nearby and brought almost everything to the ground. The catastrophe overturned cars and stripped steel-framed buildings of their cladding. It caused damage to the merchant ships berthed nearest to the warehouse. Within the port area, the explosion destroyed a section of shoreline and left a crater roughly 124 m (407 ft) in diameter and 4 to 6m (13 to 20 ft) in depth. The grain silos were largely destroyed, exacerbating food shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe financial crisis.
About 15,000 tons (14,800 long tons; 16,500 short tons) of grain were lost, leaving the country with less than a month’s worth of grain in reserve. However, part of the silos’ sturdy structure survived and seemed to be shielding a large area behind it. But this shielding Silo could not save much because of the severe shockwave which traversed everywhere around the explosion. Because of being berthed about 400 meters on the opposite side of the silo, Bangladesh Navy Contingent Ship BNS BIJOY sustained severe damage - both material and personnel.
Immediately after the blast, a local tsunami with a considerable wave height hit the ship at the jetty. The ship started going to and pro-parting its berthing hawser (heavy ropes). With the first wave, two ropes parted, and with the return wave, another rope parted. Lastly, the ship was on only one hawser parting which would bring real disaster to the ship sinking on the spot. I, being the only standing person on the jetty, could fasten the ship’s rope to the bollard, which probably saved the ship from banging onto the jetty.
Human Losses
On that day morning, BNS BIJOY just berthed at Beirut Port Jetty after completing Maritime Interdiction Operations in AMO (Area of Maritime Operation) duty of UNIFIL in the Mediterranean Sea as its regular roaster. Generally, ships prepare for the next sea strip during their port stay and also pass leisure time for recreational activities. That afternoon, several crew members of BIJOY were on the upper deck, busy with their respective jobs, such as afternoon games, daily routine exercise, ship maintenance, etc. Suddenly, at about 17.55 hours the crew noticed a ball of smoke near the food grain silo.
People paused their respective jobs to see the fire from a convenient place. It was not so imminent that fire could anyway be a danger to us and our ship. However, as mentioned above, I went to investigate and evaluate the fire to take necessary action if needed. While I was coming back from the scene of the explosion with the bicycle, all of a sudden I found myself spinning in the air and fell on the concrete road. Though I got multiple injuries in the body, I can only remember that it was the end of my life. However, just after the explosion, everything calmed down for a while. I did not know that I had injuries, so I ran immediately to the ship to see what happened to the ship and its personnel.
On reaching the ship’s brow (ladder), I found people groaning and most of them were lying down like dead bodies. One was about to fall into the sea. He was severely injured on the head scull and shoulder. I could pull him back to safety. Altogether 36 personnel of BNS BIJOY sustained multiple injuries; most of them lost their hearing, and a few of them broke their hands or legs or got fractures. Two sentries of Lebanese armed forces were on guard at our ship’s side, both were missing. Two days later, one dead body among the two could be recovered, and another could not yet be traced. There was one port immigration office where four persons were on duty, and all of them died. The firefighters on the scene vanished nowhere, and even their dead bodies could not be recovered. Probably their bodies scattered into small parts or even dust. Besides some people of the port and many outsiders died who were the residents of the capital city nearby.
Material Damage
In addition to the suffering of 36 personnel injuries, the shockwave of the blast caused significant material damage to the upper deck, superstructure fittings and sensors outfit. The impact of the shock wave, huge blast sound, and flying objects from the explosion area caused grave material damage to the ship. The blow of the sound, flying objects and ripped-off material by shock waves caused numerous damages both inside and outside the ship. The material damage includes mostly structural damage to the ship, equipment damage, and damage to the doors and frames. Almost all the radar aerials broke down to decks. The air inlet valve, piping, air conditioning cooking facility doors and hatches, nothing were spared. Even the magazine door was deformed, and the possibility of ammunition danger popped up. As the ship was very strong and robust-built in UK, the hull of the ship would remain intact with minor deformities in one or two places, if the ship were of thin plate there could be a lot of human casualties and the ship could sink.
Challenging Evacuation of Injured Personnel
Evacuation of the injured personnel was the hardest challenge in real-time. At first, it was required to muster all the personnel to determine the number of injured personnel by category of injuries. But there were rumors that the explosion was from the Israeli Air Force and there might be further attacks. As such, the mustering of the personnel could not be done easily because several ship companies left the ship in speculation of further attack. Finally, all personnel were mustered and found correct. Meanwhile, primary first aid had randomly been given to all by the ship’s personnel. We tried to determine the state of the injuries, but we are in dismay with the severely injured ones. The challenges of evacuation are as follows :
a. Roads up to 10 kilometers (approximately) were blocked by the debris.
b. Most of the vehicles on the road were destroyed or incapacitated.
c. Nearby civil areas, including shops, restaurants and hospitals sustained
damage.
d. Hospitals also suffered casualties.
e. All the people in the city were searching for their dear and near ones with whatever means they had at their disposal. As such, the evacuation of our ship personnel was at the stake. The Lebanese armed forces also suffered human casualties and severe destruction of their bases, equipment, resources, and materials.
f. The UNIFIL headquarters where injured personnel will be evacuated was away from the scene of the incident.
g. All sorts of communication were disrupted. However, when communication was restored, anyone from anywhere started calling
Commanding Officer and other officers, which hampered the evacuation to some extent.
h. Rumour everywhere.
Under such a situation, we were desperately looking for evacuation at the mercy of the Almighty. No vehicles or ambulance support were available at the first instance. First aid, with available resources from the medic and non-medic team, was a great help initially. In the meantime, communication with local sources and UNIFIL HQ was established. By this time, some of the Lebanese armed forces vehicles with security personnel had arrived at the port premises. But they were busy with port security and the evacuation of Lebanese people. Seeing no sign of external assistance, I ran to one of the Lebanese Army vehicles for immediate assistance, but the driver declined to go unless approved by a senior officer present at the scene.
Then I approached the officer who was in civil dress (I was also in civil dress), the officer did not say anything, nor did he decline. Taking his body language as approval, I told the driver to follow me up to the ship. So I ran to the ship and sent six severely injured personnel with two assistants and one doctor. So, by sending the first evacuation trip, I was a little bit relaxed, but to my surprise, around half an hour later, the doctor called me and said that due to the blocked road, they could not go up to any hospital. Then I suggested he proceed at any cost as that was an army assault-type vehicle.
Finally, the vehicle could reach the nearest hospital, but the hospital lost a number of their staff sustaining a lot of personnel injuries and material damage. As such they declined to accept any injured personnel for treatment. Finally, they all returned to the ship, so we could not evacuate any personnel. Later, Major General Mujtahidur Rahman arrived with his vehicle and we used that vehicle to evacuate our three severely injured crews. The hospital did not accept all three injured personnel, but one was severely injured in the head. The hospital was full of civilian personnel.
At night, assistance from UNIFIL headquarters started to arrive. Finally, we could evacuate all severely injured personnel to different hospitals by 4 a.m. transferring them in different phases. The Ambassador of the Bangladesh Embassy and his officials, the MTF ship Brazil’s crew and the UNIFIL HQ team made a great effort to evacuate the injured personnel by their vehicles to local hospitals. We have been sincerely grateful to all of them.
Explosion Aftermath
UNIFIL Actions. After the explosion, UNIFIL HQ was very concerned for the affected MTF ship BNS BIJOY. They sent a medical evacuation team on the day of the explosion for emergency medical support and evacuation. MTF (Maritime Task Force) Commander assured me (as CONTICO- Contingent Commander) that UNIFIL would do anything possible to overcome the situation. However, we requested the MTF Commander for Helicopter support right in the port area for the immediate evacuation of severely wounded personnel and he agreed to send the helicopter.
Accordingly, we also prepared the Helicopter landing site clearing foreign particles. Yet, possibly due to the rumors of further attack, the Helicopter never arrived. Later, the MTF commander ensured all injured personnel were placed in different UNIFIL-designated hospitals. He had sent a repair team to the BIJOY at the first instance for emergency repair and maintenance, though they could not contribute anything mentionable. HoM FC was also concerned for all the victims of our ship. The high officials of UNIFIL HQ took time-to-time feedback about the ship and injured personnel.
The UNIFIL PIO (Public Information Officer) team came onboard the ship for media coverage. They featured a video on the official website after that the whole world came to know officially what happened to UNIFIL MTF ship BNS BIJOY during the explosion. Moreover, a damage assessment team came to the ship to ascertain the overall damage to the ship and the ship’s company. They talked to all and examined the affected areas of the ship. The MTF commander and HoM/ FC visited the hospitals to see the injured patients and encouraged them to remain fit and sound.
HoM / FC Visit to BIJOY. The Head of Mission (HoM) and Force Commander (FC) of UNIFIL Major General Stefano Del Col visited BNS BIJOY with his team. He inspected the affected areas and met with minor-injured personnel. He addressed the whole ship’s crew of BNS BIJOY and expressed his deepest concern and solidarity for the incident. He appreciated the patience and courage of the crew for fighting the situation professionally and courageously. He assured that he would always render all possible support to BNS BIJOY to overcome the situation as early as possible.
Bangladesh Navy Delegation Visit. A high-level four-member delegation from the Bangladesh Navy visited just a few days after the explosion. The delegation, headed by a Rear Admiral, along with the technical and operations teams arrived to evaluate the operational state and the extent of the damages caused by the explosion. Immediately after the arrival of the delegation, the Bangladesh Government sent a military aircraft C-130, with medical items, PPE (personal protective equipment), masks, medicine, and essential tools with aid to the Lebanese people that were handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces at the airport.
Moreover, the same aircraft brought a number of emergency repair and maintenance items for the repair of BNS BIJOY. The delegation visited the ship and various hospitals and met UNIFIL’s Bangladeshi naval peacekeepers, particularly the injured personnel who sustained injuries due to the explosions. The delegation head addressed the whole crew and praised their effort to handle the situation. In addition, the delegation also visited UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura, where the delegation leader met with mission leadership for the immediate maintenance and assistance of BNS BIJOY and its contingent. Beside Bangladesh, many countries extended their hands for humanitarian assistance to affected people.
Narratives from other Witnesses
The explosions caused heavy damage to our ship and injured more than one-third of the ship’s crew. The peacekeepers who witnessed the devastating incident would never forget the day. One of the head-injured peacekeepers, Chief Engine Room Artificer Abdur Rashid, went on life-support for about two days and then became conscious. A few of the severely injured personnel got surgery and remained in the hospital for more than months. Some of them are still carrying the wounds in their bodies. Those who were on the upper deck and witnessed the first fire break out thought at first instance that it might be just a fire accident.
According to several of them, they rushed to convenient places on the ship to see the fire. In the meantime, the intensity of the fire was increasing with a cracker sound. They thought something wrong but did not understand the mega incident might take place. With the increasing intensity of the fire, they panicked a little. A few of them clearly witnessed the mushroom of smoke during the blast. Those who witnessed the disaster would remember it for the rest of their lives. A few of them reacted as if they had forgotten what happened; they just could remember a huge blow and sound. Above all the incident of the Beirut port explosion is a very rare experience for all of those who witnessed it from the ship.
Docking of Ship
BNS BIJOY was scheduled to return to Bangladesh after completing the Tour of Duty (ToD) of the UNIFIL mission. The ship was performing its last phase duty and at the same time preparing for the return voyage after handing over the duty to the new Ship coming from home BNS SANGRAM, BANCON– 11. BNS BIJOY was supposed to return from the mission in July 2020, but due to a technical issue with the incoming ship, our return was delayed for about a month. Otherwise, the incoming ship SANGRAM was supposed to be in the harbor on the explosion day.
Because of that explosion, our return from the mission was again uncertain. Just after the explosion, the chief of the Turkish Navy called chief of the Bangladesh Navy to convey their sympathy and offered repair, docking and maintenance of our ship at the Turkish naval base. Bangladesh Government accepted the gesture of friendship from Turkish. Turkish Navy towed the ship from Lebanon to Aksaz Naval Base, Turkish.
Aksaz Naval Repair Command made all arrangements for the repair and maintenance of the ship. Finally, with the help of airlift equipment and rigorous maintenance and repair of our ship at the Turkish naval base, we could prepare the ship for the return voyage. BNS BIJOY again sailed back to Lebanon and took over the maritime interdiction duty of AMO. Thanks and gratitude to the Turkish Navy and all concerned for making the damaged ship operational.
Lesson Learned
No lessons and no amount of precautions can protect us from incidents, accidents, and disasters, whether it is man-made or natural. However, still lessons can help us deal with the situation to save man and material to some extent. The Beirut port explosion on 04 August 2020 is marked as one of the most devastating accidental disasters in history. The disaster changed the day-to-day life of Beirut city in a fraction of a second and turned the city into a wreckage of disaster.
Secured to a jetty very close to the disaster sight, Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY and its crew were severely affected by the explosion. As such, the experience of the disastrous explosion could be a great source of lessons for precautions, and if not prevented, at least handle any disaster of the same kind in the future. In that connotation, the followings are a few lessons for all of us :
a. Trust on the Almighty. Trust in the Almighty could ease the burden and sorrows. It would make people resilient and endowed with the strength and power to face any difficulties.
b. Suppress Rumors. Due to the rumors, ship’s crew tried to flee away with their passports from the ship, which made the situation-tackling very difficult because it popped up the possibility that a few crew might be missing sustaining casualties. Immediately after any incident, command should disseminate their minds to clear doubts amongst their followers as far as possible.
c. Avoid unnecessary communication. After the incident, the commander should not be overloaded with unnecessary communication.
d. Storing Chemical Items in Designated Areas. Extra precautions may be taken to dump or store chemical ingredients or hazardous items. Particularly in port or heavy storage areas, items should be stored in designated areas only at all costs. Similar incidents were repeated in Bangladesh in Sitakunda, Dhaka and other areas.
e. Fast Aid Training. In addition to professional medical personnel, basic first aid training may be rendered to other non-medic personnel for immediate response.
f. Firefighting Training. A good awareness and knowledge of handling of firefighting equipment is a must.
g. Unity and Morale. Remaining united with high morale as a member of the armed forces would be a great key to fighting any disastrous situations, where trust in the Almighty would be a great source of inspiration.
h. Voluntary Culture of Lebanese People. The students of schools, colleges and universities in Lebanon voluntarily participated in cleaning the disaster-torn city from debris and obstruction. Along with the general population, they also established a relief center with tents where people brought whatever they had to the relief center and affected people took whatever they needed from the center without recording and registering. This cultural lesson may be inculcated among our future generations.
Conclusion
The Beirut Port explosion on 4th August marked one of the biggest accidental disasters in the world. The explosion was felt in Turkey, Syria, Israel, Palestine, and parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 250 km (160 mi) away. It was detected by the United States Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered one of the most powerful nonnuclear explosions in history. The explosion played havoc across Beirut city and destroyed everything inside Beirut Port.
The explosions caused damage to Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY, the ship deployed in the UNIFIL mission was berthed within 400 meters of the explosion site and injured 36 Bangladesh Navy peacekeepers, with 23 of them requiring hospitalization. The explosion also caused material damage, including structural deformation, breakage of doors and hatches, damage to various electronic and electrical equipment and damage to navigational aids. Bangladesh Navy and UNIFIL authority were deeply concerned about the ship. Bangladesh Navy Headquarters, LAF Navy and UNIFIL provided every possible support to the ship, but special support was provided by the Turkish Navy which repaired the ship thoroughly.
Various contingents of UNIFIL did a tremendous job in the evacuation and hospitalization of injured personnel. The UN General Secretary had also expressed his deepest concern for the victims. The other international community and neighboring countries also expressed solidarity for the affected ship and injured personnel. UN also provided compensation to a few sailors for sustaining lifelong injuries, especially losing hearing ability.
The explosion did damage to the ship and injured so many personnel but it could not shake the morale of the crew. They fought against all odds and stood straight. All together, from the commanding officer to the sailors, handled the situation with the utmost courage and patience. The incident of the explosion will remain ever fresh as a bitter memory of all the crew onboard BNS BIJOY in real-time.
Commodore Mohammad Joynal Abedin, (ND), NGP, ndc, afwc, psc, PhD, Bangladesh Navy
Abstract
The Beirut Port explosion on 4th August 2020, the most catastrophic incident in the recent history of disaster in the world, has been depicted with the attestation of an eye-witnessing experience in the article, specially from the perspective of the immediate action plan of disaster management and impediment caused-by. Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY deployed in Lebanon, as one of the naval units of UN Maritime Task Forces, was berthed at Beirut Port at the moment of the explosion.
Around 400 meters North of BNS BIJOY, a small fire broke out in the Port’s warehouse storing about 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate. Having simply been informed about the small fire incident and sensed something otherwise, I rushed with a bicycle to the place to observe the situation. Instantly after going there, I started returning, since the fire was getting increased drastically. When I was about 50 yards away from our ship BNS BIJOY, the explosion took place.
The havoc of the blast destroyed everything in the port and the city nearby and grounded almost everything, causing at least 200 deaths, over 7000 injuries and damaging properties of USD 10 to 15 Billion. BNS BIJOY had to endure severe injuries to personnel and damages to materials. In the course of evacuation and controlling the damage, the initiatives taken by the ships’ leadership, UNIFIL HQ and Bangladesh Navy Headquarters have remarkably been effective not only for BNS BIJOY, but for the entire area of the incident as well, keeping the whole range of lesson learned for future generations. Besides the lessons, a mere story narration of this article would touch the reader and carry them forward fur into the future in their memories.
Introduction
On 04 August 2020, a large amount of long-stored ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded causing at least 200 deaths, a few reported missing, over 7000 injuries, damaging property of US$10–15 billion, and leaving an estimated 3,00,000 people homeless. About 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) confiscated by the Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV RHOSUS, had beenstored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years.
The explosion was preceded by a fire in the same warehouse, but till now (as of September 2023), the exact cause of the detonation is under investigation. The explosion was felt in Turkey, Syria, Israel, Palestine, and parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus which is more than 150 miles away. It was detected by the United States Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history.
Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY deployed in UNIFIL as one of the Maritime Task Force units was berthed at Beirut for a port of call just in the morning of the day of the explosion. The ship was severely affected by the explosion. The sudden shock wave created from the explosion caused severe damage to the ship leaving about 36 of the crew injured of which a few of them were found in severe condition.
During the explosion BNS BIJOY was secured alongside pier number 06 about 400 meters away from the area of the explosion. The huge explosion caused material damage and human injuries to the ship. The explosion played havoc around vast areas across the Beirut city. As the ship was berthed close to the explosion area, it had experienced the grave blow of the explosion.
Office of UNIFIL Headquarters and Bangladesh Naval Headquarters were deeply concerned for the affected ship and her crew. The various crucial events aftermath of the explosion such as damage to the ship, casualty evacuation, medical treatment for the injured personnel, Navy high delegation team visit, UNIFIL high officials’ visit and their consecutive actions, friendly offer for repairing and docking of the damaged ship by Turkish Government etc. remain in memory as well as lessons for the future.
The Blast as I have Witnessed
On the afternoon 4 August 2020, the day was unlike any other day amidst severe COVID-19. At about 1755 in the afternoon, a small fire broke out in Warehouse 12 at the Port of Beirut, about 400 meters North to BNS BIJOY. Warehouse 12 was on the waterside and next to the grain silos; the warehouse stored the ammonium nitrate that had been confiscated from MV RHOSUS, alongside a “stash” of firecrackers. BNS BIJOY was on the opposite side of Silo. As commanding officer, I was informed that a small fire had broken out. Then and then, I decided to observe the fire by going to the scene of the fire by myself.
Then I took a bicycle and went near the warehouse where the fire took place. After going there, I saw a few people, mostly from the fire brigade, struggling to control the fire and a few of them were witnessing and recording video with their mobile phones. Observing the unusual situation, I decided to leave the place instantly; and while returning with the bicycle, the intensity of the fire was getting increased. Just after a few seconds, when I was near about 50 yards from our ship BIJOY, the catastrophic blast took place. It rocked central Beirut and threw a red-orange cloud into the air, which was briefly surrounded by a white condensed cloud.
The orange-red colour of the smoke was caused by nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of ammonium nitrate decomposition. The explosion was felt in northern Israel and in Cyprus, 240 kilometers (150 miles) away. It is circulated that there were two explosions on that day from the fire, but as an eyewitness, there was only one explosion that destroyed everything. The so-called first explosion was the sound of increasing intensity of fire from the firecrackers inside the warehouse. This first explosion was heard locally, and the impact was limited to the warehouse only.
The explosion destroyed everything in the port and the city nearby and brought almost everything to the ground. The catastrophe overturned cars and stripped steel-framed buildings of their cladding. It caused damage to the merchant ships berthed nearest to the warehouse. Within the port area, the explosion destroyed a section of shoreline and left a crater roughly 124 m (407 ft) in diameter and 4 to 6m (13 to 20 ft) in depth. The grain silos were largely destroyed, exacerbating food shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe financial crisis.
About 15,000 tons (14,800 long tons; 16,500 short tons) of grain were lost, leaving the country with less than a month’s worth of grain in reserve. However, part of the silos’ sturdy structure survived and seemed to be shielding a large area behind it. But this shielding Silo could not save much because of the severe shockwave which traversed everywhere around the explosion. Because of being berthed about 400 meters on the opposite side of the silo, Bangladesh Navy Contingent Ship BNS BIJOY sustained severe damage - both material and personnel.
Immediately after the blast, a local tsunami with a considerable wave height hit the ship at the jetty. The ship started going to and pro-parting its berthing hawser (heavy ropes). With the first wave, two ropes parted, and with the return wave, another rope parted. Lastly, the ship was on only one hawser parting which would bring real disaster to the ship sinking on the spot. I, being the only standing person on the jetty, could fasten the ship’s rope to the bollard, which probably saved the ship from banging onto the jetty.
Human Losses
On that day morning, BNS BIJOY just berthed at Beirut Port Jetty after completing Maritime Interdiction Operations in AMO (Area of Maritime Operation) duty of UNIFIL in the Mediterranean Sea as its regular roaster. Generally, ships prepare for the next sea strip during their port stay and also pass leisure time for recreational activities. That afternoon, several crew members of BIJOY were on the upper deck, busy with their respective jobs, such as afternoon games, daily routine exercise, ship maintenance, etc. Suddenly, at about 17.55 hours the crew noticed a ball of smoke near the food grain silo.
People paused their respective jobs to see the fire from a convenient place. It was not so imminent that fire could anyway be a danger to us and our ship. However, as mentioned above, I went to investigate and evaluate the fire to take necessary action if needed. While I was coming back from the scene of the explosion with the bicycle, all of a sudden I found myself spinning in the air and fell on the concrete road. Though I got multiple injuries in the body, I can only remember that it was the end of my life. However, just after the explosion, everything calmed down for a while. I did not know that I had injuries, so I ran immediately to the ship to see what happened to the ship and its personnel.
On reaching the ship’s brow (ladder), I found people groaning and most of them were lying down like dead bodies. One was about to fall into the sea. He was severely injured on the head scull and shoulder. I could pull him back to safety. Altogether 36 personnel of BNS BIJOY sustained multiple injuries; most of them lost their hearing, and a few of them broke their hands or legs or got fractures. Two sentries of Lebanese armed forces were on guard at our ship’s side, both were missing. Two days later, one dead body among the two could be recovered, and another could not yet be traced. There was one port immigration office where four persons were on duty, and all of them died. The firefighters on the scene vanished nowhere, and even their dead bodies could not be recovered. Probably their bodies scattered into small parts or even dust. Besides some people of the port and many outsiders died who were the residents of the capital city nearby.
Material Damage
In addition to the suffering of 36 personnel injuries, the shockwave of the blast caused significant material damage to the upper deck, superstructure fittings and sensors outfit. The impact of the shock wave, huge blast sound, and flying objects from the explosion area caused grave material damage to the ship. The blow of the sound, flying objects and ripped-off material by shock waves caused numerous damages both inside and outside the ship. The material damage includes mostly structural damage to the ship, equipment damage, and damage to the doors and frames. Almost all the radar aerials broke down to decks. The air inlet valve, piping, air conditioning cooking facility doors and hatches, nothing were spared. Even the magazine door was deformed, and the possibility of ammunition danger popped up. As the ship was very strong and robust-built in UK, the hull of the ship would remain intact with minor deformities in one or two places, if the ship were of thin plate there could be a lot of human casualties and the ship could sink.
Challenging Evacuation of Injured Personnel
Evacuation of the injured personnel was the hardest challenge in real-time. At first, it was required to muster all the personnel to determine the number of injured personnel by category of injuries. But there were rumors that the explosion was from the Israeli Air Force and there might be further attacks. As such, the mustering of the personnel could not be done easily because several ship companies left the ship in speculation of further attack. Finally, all personnel were mustered and found correct. Meanwhile, primary first aid had randomly been given to all by the ship’s personnel. We tried to determine the state of the injuries, but we are in dismay with the severely injured ones. The challenges of evacuation are as follows :
a. Roads up to 10 kilometers (approximately) were blocked by the debris.
b. Most of the vehicles on the road were destroyed or incapacitated.
c. Nearby civil areas, including shops, restaurants and hospitals sustained
damage.
d. Hospitals also suffered casualties.
e. All the people in the city were searching for their dear and near ones with whatever means they had at their disposal. As such, the evacuation of our ship personnel was at the stake. The Lebanese armed forces also suffered human casualties and severe destruction of their bases, equipment, resources, and materials.
f. The UNIFIL headquarters where injured personnel will be evacuated was away from the scene of the incident.
g. All sorts of communication were disrupted. However, when communication was restored, anyone from anywhere started calling
Commanding Officer and other officers, which hampered the evacuation to some extent.
h. Rumour everywhere.
Under such a situation, we were desperately looking for evacuation at the mercy of the Almighty. No vehicles or ambulance support were available at the first instance. First aid, with available resources from the medic and non-medic team, was a great help initially. In the meantime, communication with local sources and UNIFIL HQ was established. By this time, some of the Lebanese armed forces vehicles with security personnel had arrived at the port premises. But they were busy with port security and the evacuation of Lebanese people. Seeing no sign of external assistance, I ran to one of the Lebanese Army vehicles for immediate assistance, but the driver declined to go unless approved by a senior officer present at the scene.
Then I approached the officer who was in civil dress (I was also in civil dress), the officer did not say anything, nor did he decline. Taking his body language as approval, I told the driver to follow me up to the ship. So I ran to the ship and sent six severely injured personnel with two assistants and one doctor. So, by sending the first evacuation trip, I was a little bit relaxed, but to my surprise, around half an hour later, the doctor called me and said that due to the blocked road, they could not go up to any hospital. Then I suggested he proceed at any cost as that was an army assault-type vehicle.
Finally, the vehicle could reach the nearest hospital, but the hospital lost a number of their staff sustaining a lot of personnel injuries and material damage. As such they declined to accept any injured personnel for treatment. Finally, they all returned to the ship, so we could not evacuate any personnel. Later, Major General Mujtahidur Rahman arrived with his vehicle and we used that vehicle to evacuate our three severely injured crews. The hospital did not accept all three injured personnel, but one was severely injured in the head. The hospital was full of civilian personnel.
At night, assistance from UNIFIL headquarters started to arrive. Finally, we could evacuate all severely injured personnel to different hospitals by 4 a.m. transferring them in different phases. The Ambassador of the Bangladesh Embassy and his officials, the MTF ship Brazil’s crew and the UNIFIL HQ team made a great effort to evacuate the injured personnel by their vehicles to local hospitals. We have been sincerely grateful to all of them.
Explosion Aftermath
UNIFIL Actions. After the explosion, UNIFIL HQ was very concerned for the affected MTF ship BNS BIJOY. They sent a medical evacuation team on the day of the explosion for emergency medical support and evacuation. MTF (Maritime Task Force) Commander assured me (as CONTICO- Contingent Commander) that UNIFIL would do anything possible to overcome the situation. However, we requested the MTF Commander for Helicopter support right in the port area for the immediate evacuation of severely wounded personnel and he agreed to send the helicopter.
Accordingly, we also prepared the Helicopter landing site clearing foreign particles. Yet, possibly due to the rumors of further attack, the Helicopter never arrived. Later, the MTF commander ensured all injured personnel were placed in different UNIFIL-designated hospitals. He had sent a repair team to the BIJOY at the first instance for emergency repair and maintenance, though they could not contribute anything mentionable. HoM FC was also concerned for all the victims of our ship. The high officials of UNIFIL HQ took time-to-time feedback about the ship and injured personnel.
The UNIFIL PIO (Public Information Officer) team came onboard the ship for media coverage. They featured a video on the official website after that the whole world came to know officially what happened to UNIFIL MTF ship BNS BIJOY during the explosion. Moreover, a damage assessment team came to the ship to ascertain the overall damage to the ship and the ship’s company. They talked to all and examined the affected areas of the ship. The MTF commander and HoM/ FC visited the hospitals to see the injured patients and encouraged them to remain fit and sound.
HoM / FC Visit to BIJOY. The Head of Mission (HoM) and Force Commander (FC) of UNIFIL Major General Stefano Del Col visited BNS BIJOY with his team. He inspected the affected areas and met with minor-injured personnel. He addressed the whole ship’s crew of BNS BIJOY and expressed his deepest concern and solidarity for the incident. He appreciated the patience and courage of the crew for fighting the situation professionally and courageously. He assured that he would always render all possible support to BNS BIJOY to overcome the situation as early as possible.
Bangladesh Navy Delegation Visit. A high-level four-member delegation from the Bangladesh Navy visited just a few days after the explosion. The delegation, headed by a Rear Admiral, along with the technical and operations teams arrived to evaluate the operational state and the extent of the damages caused by the explosion. Immediately after the arrival of the delegation, the Bangladesh Government sent a military aircraft C-130, with medical items, PPE (personal protective equipment), masks, medicine, and essential tools with aid to the Lebanese people that were handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces at the airport.
Moreover, the same aircraft brought a number of emergency repair and maintenance items for the repair of BNS BIJOY. The delegation visited the ship and various hospitals and met UNIFIL’s Bangladeshi naval peacekeepers, particularly the injured personnel who sustained injuries due to the explosions. The delegation head addressed the whole crew and praised their effort to handle the situation. In addition, the delegation also visited UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura, where the delegation leader met with mission leadership for the immediate maintenance and assistance of BNS BIJOY and its contingent. Beside Bangladesh, many countries extended their hands for humanitarian assistance to affected people.
Narratives from other Witnesses
The explosions caused heavy damage to our ship and injured more than one-third of the ship’s crew. The peacekeepers who witnessed the devastating incident would never forget the day. One of the head-injured peacekeepers, Chief Engine Room Artificer Abdur Rashid, went on life-support for about two days and then became conscious. A few of the severely injured personnel got surgery and remained in the hospital for more than months. Some of them are still carrying the wounds in their bodies. Those who were on the upper deck and witnessed the first fire break out thought at first instance that it might be just a fire accident.
According to several of them, they rushed to convenient places on the ship to see the fire. In the meantime, the intensity of the fire was increasing with a cracker sound. They thought something wrong but did not understand the mega incident might take place. With the increasing intensity of the fire, they panicked a little. A few of them clearly witnessed the mushroom of smoke during the blast. Those who witnessed the disaster would remember it for the rest of their lives. A few of them reacted as if they had forgotten what happened; they just could remember a huge blow and sound. Above all the incident of the Beirut port explosion is a very rare experience for all of those who witnessed it from the ship.
Docking of Ship
BNS BIJOY was scheduled to return to Bangladesh after completing the Tour of Duty (ToD) of the UNIFIL mission. The ship was performing its last phase duty and at the same time preparing for the return voyage after handing over the duty to the new Ship coming from home BNS SANGRAM, BANCON– 11. BNS BIJOY was supposed to return from the mission in July 2020, but due to a technical issue with the incoming ship, our return was delayed for about a month. Otherwise, the incoming ship SANGRAM was supposed to be in the harbor on the explosion day.
Because of that explosion, our return from the mission was again uncertain. Just after the explosion, the chief of the Turkish Navy called chief of the Bangladesh Navy to convey their sympathy and offered repair, docking and maintenance of our ship at the Turkish naval base. Bangladesh Government accepted the gesture of friendship from Turkish. Turkish Navy towed the ship from Lebanon to Aksaz Naval Base, Turkish.
Aksaz Naval Repair Command made all arrangements for the repair and maintenance of the ship. Finally, with the help of airlift equipment and rigorous maintenance and repair of our ship at the Turkish naval base, we could prepare the ship for the return voyage. BNS BIJOY again sailed back to Lebanon and took over the maritime interdiction duty of AMO. Thanks and gratitude to the Turkish Navy and all concerned for making the damaged ship operational.
Lesson Learned
No lessons and no amount of precautions can protect us from incidents, accidents, and disasters, whether it is man-made or natural. However, still lessons can help us deal with the situation to save man and material to some extent. The Beirut port explosion on 04 August 2020 is marked as one of the most devastating accidental disasters in history. The disaster changed the day-to-day life of Beirut city in a fraction of a second and turned the city into a wreckage of disaster.
Secured to a jetty very close to the disaster sight, Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY and its crew were severely affected by the explosion. As such, the experience of the disastrous explosion could be a great source of lessons for precautions, and if not prevented, at least handle any disaster of the same kind in the future. In that connotation, the followings are a few lessons for all of us :
a. Trust on the Almighty. Trust in the Almighty could ease the burden and sorrows. It would make people resilient and endowed with the strength and power to face any difficulties.
b. Suppress Rumors. Due to the rumors, ship’s crew tried to flee away with their passports from the ship, which made the situation-tackling very difficult because it popped up the possibility that a few crew might be missing sustaining casualties. Immediately after any incident, command should disseminate their minds to clear doubts amongst their followers as far as possible.
c. Avoid unnecessary communication. After the incident, the commander should not be overloaded with unnecessary communication.
d. Storing Chemical Items in Designated Areas. Extra precautions may be taken to dump or store chemical ingredients or hazardous items. Particularly in port or heavy storage areas, items should be stored in designated areas only at all costs. Similar incidents were repeated in Bangladesh in Sitakunda, Dhaka and other areas.
e. Fast Aid Training. In addition to professional medical personnel, basic first aid training may be rendered to other non-medic personnel for immediate response.
f. Firefighting Training. A good awareness and knowledge of handling of firefighting equipment is a must.
g. Unity and Morale. Remaining united with high morale as a member of the armed forces would be a great key to fighting any disastrous situations, where trust in the Almighty would be a great source of inspiration.
h. Voluntary Culture of Lebanese People. The students of schools, colleges and universities in Lebanon voluntarily participated in cleaning the disaster-torn city from debris and obstruction. Along with the general population, they also established a relief center with tents where people brought whatever they had to the relief center and affected people took whatever they needed from the center without recording and registering. This cultural lesson may be inculcated among our future generations.
Conclusion
The Beirut Port explosion on 4th August marked one of the biggest accidental disasters in the world. The explosion was felt in Turkey, Syria, Israel, Palestine, and parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 250 km (160 mi) away. It was detected by the United States Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered one of the most powerful nonnuclear explosions in history. The explosion played havoc across Beirut city and destroyed everything inside Beirut Port.
The explosions caused damage to Bangladesh Navy Ship BIJOY, the ship deployed in the UNIFIL mission was berthed within 400 meters of the explosion site and injured 36 Bangladesh Navy peacekeepers, with 23 of them requiring hospitalization. The explosion also caused material damage, including structural deformation, breakage of doors and hatches, damage to various electronic and electrical equipment and damage to navigational aids. Bangladesh Navy and UNIFIL authority were deeply concerned about the ship. Bangladesh Navy Headquarters, LAF Navy and UNIFIL provided every possible support to the ship, but special support was provided by the Turkish Navy which repaired the ship thoroughly.
Various contingents of UNIFIL did a tremendous job in the evacuation and hospitalization of injured personnel. The UN General Secretary had also expressed his deepest concern for the victims. The other international community and neighboring countries also expressed solidarity for the affected ship and injured personnel. UN also provided compensation to a few sailors for sustaining lifelong injuries, especially losing hearing ability.
The explosion did damage to the ship and injured so many personnel but it could not shake the morale of the crew. They fought against all odds and stood straight. All together, from the commanding officer to the sailors, handled the situation with the utmost courage and patience. The incident of the explosion will remain ever fresh as a bitter memory of all the crew onboard BNS BIJOY in real-time.
Commodore Mohammad Joynal Abedin, (ND), NGP, ndc, afwc, psc, PhD, Bangladesh Navy
Last edited:
