Ivorian authorities decide ship carrying ammonium nitrate is safe

Ivorian authorities have made their decision. The ship Zimrida, which has long been blocked outside Ivorian waters, is not a floating bomb. On Tuesday, it finally docked at the port of Abidjan, carrying 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

Authorities have stated that this cargo, which is used for fertilizers and the mining industry, poses no danger to port facilities or the general public. Everything is in order, including the permits. This morning, a press visit was organized on board to further reassure journalists.

“The port of Abidjan, in particular, is booming in terms of traffic, and ammonium nitrate traffic is part of this growing phenomenon. In the past, ammonium nitrate was mainly used in the agriculture industry, but in recent years there has been an expansion of the mining industry,'' Hien Yacouba Sié, General Manager of the Autonomous Port of Abidjan, stated.

''Every day, new mines are discovered, some of them world-class. These mines consume large quantities of ammonium nitrate. To give you some figures: in 2023, the port of Abidjan handled 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. In 2024, this figure had risen to 46,375 tonnes,” he added.

But the arrival of ammonium nitrate is not without its critics. Ammonium nitrate is still associated with tragedies such as the explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020. Of the 20,000 tonnes transported by the Zimrida, some 7,656 tonnes are destined for an Ivorian customer.