Volodymyr Verbonol is a Ukrainian businessman born 1959 in Dnipro Ukraine, known for his involvement in the chemical trading industry. He gained international attention following investigations into the ownership of the ammonium nitrate shipment that caused the catastrophic explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020.
Business Activities.
In 2013, a London-registered company, Savaro Ltd, chartered a vessel to transport 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate from Georgia to an explosives factory in Mozambique. However, the ship was detained in Beirut due to unpaid debts and technical issues, leading to the storage of the cargo at the port. The prolonged storage under improper conditions resulted in a massive explosion, causing over 200 deaths and displacing more than 300,000 people.
Investigations by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed that Verbonol, along with his partners, was behind Savaro Ltd. Their network, active since at least the early 2000s, was involved in trading technical-grade ammonium nitrate and operated through a complex web of trade names and shell companies across various countries, including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the British Virgin Islands.
Beirut Port Explosion Investigation.
Despite initial denials of involvement, evidence linked Verbonol to the ownership of the ammonium nitrate shipment. Further investigations indicated that this network had conducted multiple shipments of ammonium nitrate to African countries, including at least three to Mozambique in 2013.
The Beirut explosion led to legal actions and ongoing investigations to hold those responsible accountable. In February 2025, Lebanese Judge Tarek Bitar resumed the probe into the explosion, scheduling sessions to hear from several defendants, including Verbonol. However, Verbonol did not attend the session at the Justice Palace.