Aden (Debriefer) - The Yemeni Gulf of Aden ports corporation on Friday denied the presence of any shipment of ammonium nitrate in the southern port of Aden.
"Allegations, that 140 containers of ammonium nitrate are held in Aden port for three years, alter and falsify facts," the corporation said in a statement carried by the official Aden-based Saba News Agency.
Under measures, rules and laws regulating the Aden port's works in all its facilities, it is prohibited to handle or store any shipments of explosives, flammables and radioactive materials, the statement added.
There are indeed old cargoes in the container terminal, but these "contain (46%) organic urea used as agricultural fertilizers. They are neither explosive nor radioactive materials, and it's not banned to tackle or store them," it added.
The corporation urged everybody to "seek accuracy before publicizing information, and avoid spreading panic or disturbing the civilians, particularly in these conditions currently lived by the country."
Earlier on Friday, a Yemeni journalist warned of a potential disaster similar to that experienced by Lebanon.
Since 2017, Aden container terminal has been hosting up to 4,900 tons of ammonium nitrates with no treatment, Fatehi Bin Lazraq wrote on Facebook.
In remarks to Debriefer, an official at the UN-recognized government denied the report, noting that the shipment was urea fertilizer, but not ammonium nitrates.