Beirut port viewed from the window of a damaged residential apartment in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 27.
Photographer: Hasan Shaaban/BloombergWhat Happens When Tycoons Abandon Their Giant Cargo Ships
The pandemic has hastened the troubling practice of dumping vessels, with their crew and hazardous materials still on board
From the deck of their tanker, Captain Samig Nabiyev and his crew could see the smoke and fire rising over the Port of Beirut, 900 meters away. When the flaming warehouse exploded, the force of the blast knocked Nabiyev flat on his back.
“I thought I was finished,” said the 43-year-old Nabiyev, who’s worked on ships for almost 20 years. “We were all afraid for our lives.”