Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Monday, July 14, 2025
    961
    Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok
    • Breaking News
    • Guides
    • Food & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Join the Team
    • Whatsapp
      • 961
      • 961 News
    Advertise with Us Get the App
    961
    Home»News»Lebanon News
    Anthony Vrailas, via MarineTraffic | CBC
    4 Mins Read

    Investigative Report: The Real Owner Of the Ammonium Nitrate Ship & His Relationship To Lebanon

    By Souad LazkaniAugust 25, 2020Updated:February 8, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    This is part I of a series covering an extensive investigative report spanning 10 countries.

    The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in collaboration with a team of 26 investigative journalists from countries around the world, launched a large investigation to uncover the truth surrounding the ammonium nitrate shipment.

    Tonnes of it had been stuck in the port of Beirut for nearly a decade and ended up destroying the city.

    The investigative report of OCCRP was produced in collaboration with Daraj.com Lebanon, ARIJ.NET Jordan, Meduza Russia, iStories Russia, Der Spiegel Germany, RISE Moldova, RISE Romania, Bivol Bulgaria, ifact.ge Georgia, aVerdade Mozambique.

    It all started in September 2013 when a leaky ship with some technical difficulties made an unscheduled stop in Beirut, and which would later result in the city’s devastation. 

    Since the explosion, there have been many questions, for instance, who was the owner of the ship? 

    Club of Mozambique

    The story goes that the ship – the Rhosus – was a Russian-leased cargo ship transporting dangerous material heading to a company that makes commercial explosives in Mozambique. 

    It carried almost 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the combustible material that blew a large portion of Beirut to shreds.

    Multiple reports have pointed to Igor Grechushkin, a Russian businessman living in Cyprus, who seemingly abandoned the ship after ordering it to stop in Beirut. 

    Igor Grechushkin

    However, a report by a team of investigative journalists from around the world traced the Rhosus ownership to someone completely different.

    The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and various partners produced a report that gave new answers to many burning questions. 

    OCCRP uncovered the true identity of the owner of the ship and his relationship to Lebanon. While he denies it, OCCRP has evidence to believe that the Rhosus was owned by Cypriot shipping tycoon Charalambos Manoli. 

    Charalambos Manoli via Facebook

    Manoli was involved in some questionable business – all while trying to hide his footsteps. He was the apparent owner of multiple companies involved with the Rhosus.

    According to documents found by OCCRP, Manoli owned the ship through one of his companies Briarwood Corporation in Panama.

    Other companies of his helped register the ship in Moldova and set it up with Moldovan flags, and another cleared the faulty, beat-up ship as seaworthy – although it evidently wasn’t. 

    OCCRP

    But most interestingly, when the Rhosus made its way to Beirut, Manoli was indebted to a sketchy Lebanese-owned bank, registered in Tanzania, operating out of a branch in Cyprus.

    The bank, FBME (previously known as Federal Bank of the Middle East), shut down after the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) accused it of illicit business, primarily money laundering and financing multinational organized crime and terrorist organizations.

    In its notice, FinCEN wrote, “…in 2008, an FBME customer received a deposit of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a financier for Lebanese Hezbollah.”  

    Apparently, two years before the Rhosus sailed off to Beirut, Manoli took out a $4 million loan from FBME. He failed to provide the first repayment and offered the Rhosus as collateral to the bank.

    According to both Manoli and the bank, however, the Rhosus was never used as collateral. The bank also denied involvement with the ship’s financing and ownership.

    The very fact that Manoli did have dealings with a Lebanese-owned bank linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the ammonium nitrate just happened to end up, is telling of something much darker working in the shadows. 

    As for Grechushkin, well, he was merely leasing the ship – there is no documented proof that he owned the ship at all. But why was he made to look like the owner?

    Perhaps that what he does for a living. OCCRP wrote that “public records suggest that he has a history of acting as a corporate officer in companies run by others.”

    Somehow, Grechushkin became caught in this. After all, it was he who ordered the boat to stop in Beirut. Alas, the Rhosus never left.

    Maxar via NY Times

    This is part of a series covering an extensive investigative report spanning 10 countries:

    Investigative Report – Part II: Beirut Blast Ammonium Nitrate Was Never Officially Seized By Lebanese Authorities.

    Investigative Report – Part III: Only 700-1,000 Tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate Exploded in Beirut – Where’s The Rest?

    Ammonium Nitrate Beirut Blast Probe Beirut Explosion
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    uae travel ban lebanon 961

    UAE Is Officially Removing The Travel Ban On Lebanon

    Joe Issa El-Khoury 961

    Who is Joe Issa El-Khoury, Lebanon’s New Minister of Industry

    Adel Nassar 961

    Who is Adel Nassar, Lebanon’s New Minister of Justice

    Nizar Hani 961

    Who is Nizar Hani, Lebanon’s New Minister of Agriculture

    Charles Hajj 961

    Who Is Charles Hajj, Lebanon’s New Minister of Telecommunications

    Nora Bayrakdarian 961

    Who is Nora Bayrakdarian, Lebanon’s New Minister of Youth and Sports

    shark tank Lebanon

    Shark Tank Is Officially Coming To Lebanon – Here’s How You Can Get A Chance To Pitch Your Idea

    lebanon jounieh cyprus by ferry 961

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Travel Between Lebanon & Cyprus By Ferry

    June 8, 2025

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019

    Lebanon’s Shawarma Is Going Viral in The Philippines

    April 21, 2019
    Lebanese boutiques

    25 Boutiques In Lebanon To Find Your Dream Evening Dress This Wedding Season

    June 9, 2024

    20 Typical Lebanese Slang Expressions

    April 21, 2020
    caracalla one thousand and one nights

    Caracalla Just Added More Dates For “One Thousand and One Nights” & You Def Don’t Want To Miss It!

    July 5, 2025
    whish pay lebanon 961

    You Can Now Use Whish Pay At Shopify Stores

    June 13, 2025
    lebanese beer brands almaza beirut beer 961

    Lebanese Beer Brands Are Publicly Throwing Shade, And It’s Getting Frothy

    June 7, 2025

    How Mia Khalifa Became One Of The Most Outspoken Advocates For Lebanon

    August 13, 2020
    961 Logo
    Facebook WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    Popular Topics

    • Guides
    • Eat & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Lebanon News
    • Diaspora
    • Explained

    961

    • About
    • WhatsApp Channel
    • News WhatsApp Channel
    • Corrections Policy
    • Ownership & Funding

    Services

    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • App Waitlist
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
    961™ | All Rights Reserved ©2025
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.