Beirut serves as a warning about the risks of port cities.
"Beirut is yet another example that serves as a warning to the various port terminals in Brazil, and also to the Port of Açu in northern Rio de Janeiro," writes engineer and IFF professor Roberto Moraes.
Port cities need to be careful. They have risks that go far beyond the economic potential linked to logistics and tax revenue.
What is done or allowed to be done in port terminals is of interest to everyone, especially the surrounding populations, and not just their owners. This should never be forgotten.
Private ports tend to close themselves off, like enclaves, denying access to information beyond what they call the bureaucracy involved in construction and operation permits.
Inspections by government agencies and regulatory bodies are becoming increasingly weak, within this ultraliberal logic and self-declaration of risks by port operators.
The risks increase when handling and storing cargo containing chemicals, petroleum products, and natural gas. Brazil has already experienced other worrying incidents at the Port of Santos. Beirut is yet another example that serves as a warning to the various port terminals in Brazil, and also to the Port of Açu in northern Rio de Janeiro.
* This is an opinion article, the responsibility of the author, and does not reflect the opinion of Brasil 247.