Ammonium nitrate is a chemical used to either make fertilizers or explosives, depending on the nitrogen percentage. According to the Lebanese Weapons and Ammunition Law, if the nitrogen percentage is more than 34.5, it is considered explosive, while that of a lower percentage is used as an agriculture fertilizer. Also, ammonium nitrate does not burn on its own, but contact with certain substances can lead to vigorous or even violent decomposition that’s capable of igniting nearby combustible material. The resulting heat and pressure from decomposition increase the sensitivity to detonation.

Ammonium nitrate used to make explosives cannot be imported except under and in accordance with a license from the council of ministers. The Lebanese army detects the materials and submits a report in which it confirms or denies the eligibility of the importer to properly store the imported quantity. Meanwhile, the ammonium nitrate used to make fertilizers could be imported under a license from the relevant ministry.

Despite the severity of this chemical, disposing of ammonium nitrate is not as complicated as getting rid of other chemicals. In fact, it needs to be dissolved in water to become 80% liquid solution and therefore be distributed to farmers as a fertilizer.

In 2015, the General Directorate of Land and Maritime Transport sent a letter to the Industrial Research Institute requesting an examination of the ammonium nitrate stored in Hangar 12 to check the nitrogen percentage, and the means and expenses of disposing of it. Provision was made for this specific aim, but the Industrial Research Institute did not respond to the letter.

It is but noteworthy that the customs administration didn’t inquire, in any of the letters, about the possibility of disposing of the ammonium nitrate stored in Hangar 12 despite of Article 144 of the customs act that defines a mechanism to deal with abandoned cargo, such as that stored at the port of Beirut for over six months.

This article of the customs act lists a number of options to deal with such cases, either by disposing of or re-exporting the cargo, in case they’re going to affect the environment. However, selling them in an auction is not an option in the law of customs, which prohibits the sale of arms and ammunition.

The gear directorate of the Lebanese army said it could not dispose of the material. Instead, it suggested selling the ammonium nitrate stored in Hangar 12 to the privately-owned Lebanese Explosives Company. The gear directorate of the Lebanese army stated that the Lebanese army doesn’t need this quantity of the mentioned material, noting that the relevant company cannot import this kind of material without a license from the council of ministers and before an inspection by the Lebanese army.