Orient Queen cruise ship significantly damaged in Beirut Port explosion

   August 5, 2020 ,   Accidents

Authorities in Lebanon are counting the number of dead and injured after the explosion at Beirut Port that rocked the city.

The blast, which happened in the port area on Tuesday, August 4, at ~6 pm, is said to have been caused by 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse for the last 6 years after a ship had been abandoned in the cargo port in 2013.

The latest figures suggest 100+ dead and 300,000+ have been made homeless in the wake of the blast.

Various reports confirmed damage to Orient Queen cruise ship (owned and operated by the Lebanese company Abou Merhi Cruises) and Bangladesh Navy vessel BNS Bijoy. Orient Queen's interior was blown out, the vessel was listing heavily onto the quayside.

Orient Queen cruise ship

Philippine Embassy in Beirut announced that two overseas Filipino workers had died from the explosion, one sustained serious injuries, and 11 Filipino seafarers had been reported missing.

The port area is significantly damaged and said to have been totally destroyed. There are reports of a lot of casualties at the site. According to a local journalist, Hanna Anbar, the port was basically gone.

“There is nothing. Nothing. Every building looks like it has been bombed.”

For more Orient Queen accidents and incidents see at the ship's CruiseMinus page.