Two marine officials were fired on Sunday as the authorities said negligence was behind a chlorine gas explosion that killed 13 people last week at Jordan's only port of Aqaba.
The explosion on June 27 occurred when a large chlorine gas tank that was being loaded by crane on to a vessel, the China-flagged Forest 6, fell by the dockside and exploded in a plume of yellow smoke.
The accident was one of the deadliest in Jordan in recent years.
Interior Minister Mazen Al Faraya said that an official investigation determined that senior port officials bear responsibility for "negligence, lack of caution, or disregard for rules and regulations", which led to the accident.
Following his statement the official news agency said that the head of the port and the head of the Jordan Maritime Commission were fired.
Mr Al Faraya, who headed the investigation, told reporters that cable holding the 28.9 tonne chlorine cylinder was designed to carry a load of only 8.6 tonnes.
"The cable became elongated and snapped," he said.
Two government newspapers reported that Aqaba port workers began a strike on Sunday to protest against the lack of safety at the port. But a port source said there was only a brief stoppage.
Among the 13 dead were five Vietnamese crew members of the Forest 6, the Vietnamese government said.
Chlorine gas is so deadly that it is regarded as a banned chemical weapon.
The Syrian air force was suspected of using chlorine gas in an attack on the rebel town of Saraqib in 2018, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported.
The US Centres for Disease Control classifies Chlorine gas as a lung-damaging agent and says it is “highly corrosive when it contacts moist tissues such as the eyes, skin and upper respiratory tract”.
The explosion occurred as Aqaba and other tourist sites in Jordan are seeking to recover from a sharp fall in visitors caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Many tourists use Aqaba as a base to visit the nearby Nabataean city of Petra, which is two hours away.
At least 10 people died in March last year when the oxygen supply ran out in the coronavirus ward of a government hospital in the central Jordanian city of Salt.
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
How Beautiful this world is!
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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