One specialized mineral cargo handling terminal operates in the territory of the Freeport of Riga – SIA “Riga Fertilizer terminal”, which is the most modern and safest mineral fertilizer handling and temporary storage terminal in Northern Europe, said the representative of the Freeport of Riga Authority Liene Ozola.
As explained by the port representative, the terminal was put into operation at the end of 2013 and a large part of the funds was invested directly in environmentally safe, internationally recognized and modern cargo handling and storage technologies.
Ozola emphasized that in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law, Civil Defense training is organized in high-risk terminals at least once a year, this year it is planned in November. At the same time, the company also organizes internal training for its operational group employees on a monthly basis.
Taking care of the preventive supervision and control of the risks of increased danger and polluting cargo movement, the companies of the Port of Riga must comply with a number of security requirements and regulations adopted by the responsible services of international organizations and the State of Latvia. One of them – the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers (CM) of 15 September 2009 on the circulation and control of dangerous and polluting cargo in ports stipulate that in order to perform activities with dangerous cargo, a port merchant must obtain a category B permit issued by the State Environmental Service (SES). This means that the storage and transshipment of any such cargo in the port can take place only with the special approval of the SES, assessing the risks of compliance of the company’s territory and technological processes with environmental and safety standards.
During the handling and storage of mineral fertilizers, technological parameters that affect the safe movement and storage of cargo are constantly controlled and monitored. Terminals are regularly inspected by state institutions in accordance with the requirements of regulatory enactments. The main requirements are that during cargo acceptance cleanliness and safety (temperature) are controlled, in the process of transshipment – control of technical condition of technological lines, control of permissible operating parameters and prevention of mixing, but in the process of storage – temperature control and quality control.
In the production process of ammonium nitrate fertilizers are prepared so that they have a high resistance to detonation. For fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate to be handled at the Riga Fertilizer terminal, the fertilizer manufacturer performs a detonation test, during which it is confirmed that the product has a high detonation resistance. Before the delivery of each cargo consignment, a certificate of detonation of a specific cargo lot is received. Acceptance of cargo without a detonation certificate is prohibited.
Technological safety management issues are regularly reviewed to assess changes in technology and technological equipment, employee responsibilities, risk assessments and the implementation of the risk reduction plan. As a result of the review, decisions are made on further improvements in risk management.
The movement of dangerous and polluting cargo is monitored by the Latvian Maritime Administration (LMA), which monitors compliance with the rules for the movement of this cargo, as well as carries out inspections on ships. In turn, a port inspector and a fire safety inspector have been appointed by the Freeport of Riga Authority to control cargo storage volumes, packaging, segregation and compliance with fire safety requirements. If violations are identified that could endanger the safe movement of cargo, the technological process is suspended until the deficiencies are eliminated, informing the SES and LMA thereof.
As Ozola explained, the Port of Riga has an Emergency Prevention Plan, which determines the cooperation and action of all parties involved in emergency situations. It provides guidelines and recommendations to ships, port terminals and responsible port authorities, as well as other security bodies, for dealing with port emergencies.
Also, an individual Port Facility Security Plan has been developed at each port terminal, the implementation of which is the responsibility of the port facility security officer. In order to ensure that all parties involved are prepared to carry out the measures provided for in the protection plans, security drills and exercises are regularly organized with the terminal, the Freeport of Riga Authority and the State Operational Service – State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), Emergency Medical Service (NMPD), SES and others, participating in nature by playing various high-risk situations and the actions of the services in their case.
Ozola pointed out that today, in order to discuss the observance of safety regulations and conclusions after yesterday’s accident in Beirut, Viesturs Zeps, Chairman of the Board of the Freeport of Riga, together with Ansi Zeltins, Manager of the Freeport of Riga, visited Riga Fertilizer terminal and met with the company’s management.
LETA has not yet been able to contact the representatives of Riga Fertilizer terminal.
The Freeport of Ventspils has not handled cargo of explosive fertilizers in the last three years, and it is not planned to do so in the near future, Ventspils Freeport representative Inga Ieviņa told LETA.
She explained that the only terminal in the port that had a category B permit to tranship contaminating fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate was Potassium Park, which had not transhipped such cargo for three years. In addition, this is not expected to happen.
Potassium Park does not have a storage permit for such fertilizers.
The only type of mineral fertilizer that is handled at the Freeport of Ventspils is nitroamophos, but it is not explosive, Ieviņa said.
According to its competence, the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) regularly inspects high-risk objects, including storages of ammonium nitrate fertilizers, but no significant violations have been detected in recent years, SFRS spokeswoman Agrita Vītola told LETA.
According to the law, the object of increased danger is buildings or engineering structures that are used in economic or other ways related to energy production and storage, electromagnetic radiation, flammable, explosive, hazardous chemicals and mixtures, hazardous waste, plant quarantine organisms, biologically active and processing, treatment, production, use, storage and transportation of radioactive substances, nuclear materials and their waste.
There are appropriate criteria for identifying a high-risk object and each object is assigned a specific category.
SFRS together with the State Environmental Service and other institutions performs complex inspections of objects of increased danger once a year. For example, the last inspection of the fertilizer handling and storage company “Riga fertilizer terminal” was in March 2019. At that time, the inspection revealed organizational shortcomings in this company, which do not pose a threat, Vītola explained.
Vītola said that at least once every three years objects of increased danger in cooperation with SFRS organize practical training. For example, the training of the already mentioned SIA “Riga fertilizer terminal” is also planned this year.
Vītola also reminded that in accordance with the effective regulatory enactments, the owner or legal possessor of the mentioned objects prepares, coordinates with the SFRS and approves the civil protection plan of the high-risk object.
The plan shall be approved by the owner or legal possessor of the object of increased danger at least once every four years.
The State Security Service (SSD) also confirmed to LETA that the service regularly inspects critical infrastructure objects, including companies in the territory of which explosive substances are stored. The Service regularly cooperates with the representatives of these objects.
By regularly reviewing the preventive security measures implemented in such important facilities and the contingency plans prepared for emergencies, the SLS also provides recommendations for the improvement of physical security measures in order to minimize potential security risks.
The SES also confirmed that the service continues to follow developments in connection with the explosion in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Currently, the SLS does not have information on the causes of the explosion, however, the SLS emphasizes that this event has no direct impact on the security situation in Latvia or Europe.
The Lebanese capital, Beirut, is reported to have exploded 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in agricultural fertilizer on Tuesday, stored in a port warehouse for six years.
More than 100 people have been killed and around 4,000 injured in the explosions in the port of Beirut, but another 100 have gone missing. The explosions took place in the port area. The second explosion fired a huge orange fire bomb into the sky, followed by a shock wave that destroyed the port and surrounding buildings, smashing the windows of the buildings several kilometers away.
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