By Mary Ilyushina, Katie Polglase and Ali Youne
...Once it arrived, (click here) the ship never left Beirut's port, according Lebanon's Director of Customs, Badri Daher, despite repeated warnings by him and others that the cargo was the equivalent of "a floating bomb."
"Due to the extreme danger posed by this stored items in unsuitable climate conditions, we reiterate our request to the Port Authorities to re-export the goods immediately to maintain the safety of the port and those working in it," Daher's predecessor, Chafic Merhi, wrote in a 2016 letter addressed to a judge involved in the case....
By Mia Jankowicz
...The cargo ship that brought 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate (click here) to Beirut — which exploded Tuesday with devastating consequences — was abandoned in 2014 by a Russian businessman based in Cyprus, according to multiple reports.
Igor Grechushkin was named as the owner of the MV Rhosus by the ship's former captain Boris Prokoshev, in an interview with the Russian edition of Radio Free Europe.
According to Prokoshev, the Grechushkin now lives in Cyprus — a common destination for wealthy Russians.
Business Insider has been unable to reach Grechushkin for comment, and a LinkedIn profile with his name is inactive. CNN reported that its attempts to call him received no answer....
STOP HIM FROM LEAVING CYPRUS. ONCE HE REACHES RUSSIA HE IS PROTECTED FROM EXTRADITION.
It is stated Igor Grechushkin is in Cyrus. There needs to be immediate apprehension of the Russian oligarch to be questioned in regard to the dead, missing, injured and displaced caused by his boat.
Who was the explosive intended for?
The shipment was under investigation and considered suspicious when the ship was detained.
Igor Grechushkin (click here) is reported to be still residing in Limassol, Cyprus with his wife.
The Russian father of one, currently reported to be living in Limassol, Cyprus, was accused by the crew of his ship in abandoning both the people and the cargo.
The ship called Rhosus was going under the flag of Moldova from Batumi in Georgia to Mozambique. It was detained in October 2013 by Lebanese authorities after it stopped in Beirut due to a malfunction on board.
The cargo was checked and detained after the port authorities said it was ‘lacking documents and conditions necessary for transportation.
The crew - eight Ukrainian and two Russian men - was forced to stay on board of the vessel while the owner Grechushkin declared himself bankrupt and ‘abandoned the ship’
Lebanese authorities agreed to let six out of ten sailors to leave the country, others were left stranded on the ship for almost a year....
