Portsmouth port firm bids for 4,999-tonne ammonium nitrate storage permission

It comes as the fertiliser has been blamed for causing a huge explosion in Beirut killing 137 after the chemical was housed in a warehouse for six years.

Portico, the publicly-owned cargo handling firm in Portsmouth, wants permission to store nearly 5,000 tonnes of it at Flathouse Quay.

Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said if granted the hazardous waste consent application would allow Portico to ‘diversify’ so it does not rely so much on fruit import.

Any fertiliser imported through Portsmouth would be shipped in and loaded on trucks for onward delivery quickly.

He said: ‘The stuff in Beirut had been there for six years and had not properly been looked after.

‘Every port in the country imports fertiliser. It will arrive on ships and be trucked out, it won’t be sitting around.’

Portico previously lost Geest Line’s banana importing contract to Dover port, forcing the firm to focus on diversifying. Geest returned two years later.

Councillor Vernon-Jackson said: ‘It’s important that this company the council owns makes a profit because if it makes a profit then that money goes to the shareholders, which is the city council. It will protect council services.’

Around 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored in Beirut unsafely for six years before the blast on Tuesday.

Portico wants permission to store up to 4,999 tonnes - but it would be unlikely to ever store that much at any one time, it’s understood.

A Portsmouth Naval Base spokesman said: ‘In relation to the Portico application I can confirm the Royal Navy is aware of the submission and is currently considering it.’

Concerns from residents have been raised to The News about the plans in Portsmouth.

A Portico spokeswoman said: ‘We are waiting for approval for a low tier licence to handle fertiliser, which if granted, and the business secured, would mean goods coming through the port in transit and wouldn’t be on site for long.

‘The process to manage agribulk goods is rigorous and would require regular inspections.

‘We understand concerns in light of the recent incident in Beirut, however these goods are handled on a regular basis in ports across the country and held in larger quantities in agricultural business.

‘Strict inspections are in place, our licence is for the smaller, lower risk amount.’

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