Officials say there is no reason to fear explosive fertilizer in Ivory Coast port

Port authorities in Ivory Coast have dismissed security fears about a boat loaded with 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. This is the same compound that caused a devastating explosion in Lebanon four years ago,

Ammonium nitrate is commonly used as an agricultural fertilizer, but it is also potentially explosive.

Its presence in the waters of the busy city of Abidjan – home to more than six million people – has caused concern among some residents.

Part of this same cargo, which began its journey in Russia, ended up dumped off the coast of England It was contaminated with fuel oil after a difficult sea voyage last year.

A local Norfolk County lawmaker said the dump was “eco-terrorism”.

The remaining ammonium nitrate was transferred to another ship, the Zimrida, which had arrived in Ivory Coast eight days earlier.

“The ship will remain in the outer port following allegations of damage to the transported goods and as a precaution for the safety of the population and property,” port officials say.

Ivorian officials insist that what remains of the Zimrida ship has undergone the most stringent security checks.

Cautious locals still remember the impact of unloading toxic waste at the port of Abidjan nearly two decades ago.

Trying to reassure the local population, officials invited BBC and other journalists to Zimrida on Tuesday to view the cargo.

Once inside the huge vessel was entered and all five of its lids were opened, hundreds of round, white bags filled with chemicals were revealed.

The main indicator of its deadly potential is a fire truck parked outside on the pier.

But when the BBC asked why the goods had not yet been unloaded despite checks, port spokesman Abubakar Toto said they were only following protocol and waiting for the order to go ahead.

In a statement to the BBC, Paris-based environmental NGO Robin des Bois said it was dangerous to use the port of Abidjan as a “storage site” and that the goods should be sent to their buyer without delay.

Ivorian authorities meanwhile say deliveries of ammonium nitrate are routine and more than 40,000 tonnes of the compound were offloaded at the same port in 2024 without incident.

Of the shipments currently waiting at Zimrida, 7,600 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer is destined for use in Ivory Coast.

Once Zimrida eventually leaves Ivory Coast, it will transport the remaining cargo to Luanda in Angola and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.