An Egyptian owned cargo ship MERO STAR was discharging 5,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat in Beirut when the powerful blast ripped through the port though the cargo is in good condition.
Two Syrian crew members aboard the ship were seriously injured in the blast and others were wounded.
MERO STAR is a German built ship by the famous JJ Sietas Schiffswerft at Hamburg in 1983, homeported at Freetown with Sierra Leone (SLE) flag and owned by El Reedy Shipping Agency at Damietta, Egypt of which back to 15 years ago the 1978 built vessel MOON LIGHT used to call at Malta. (On 14th July 2006 she was hit by a rocket 80 km off Lebanon during the 2006 Israel – Hezbollah War with one crew member badly injured. Vessel was near a total loss and abandoned.
Watermarked Photos are by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Saturday 8th August, 2020