Behind the Beirut explosion lies the lawless world of international shipping | Laleh Khalili

The disaster has roots in a global network of maritime capital and legal chicanery designed to protect businesses at any cost

At about 6pm on Tuesday, a seemingly small warehouse fire near Beirut port's grain silos began to fizz with red sparks. The sparks led to an enormous explosion, a mushroom cloud of water and debris, and a column of orange-red and black smoke rising out of the warehouse.

The shockwave pulverised nearby warehouses and apartment blocks, lifted doors off their hinges and shattered windows several miles away. At the time of writing, 154 people have been reported killed over 5,000 injured and 300,000 have been left homeless. Dozens of people are still missing.