Container ship carrying hazardous materials explodes at one of the world’s busiest ports
13 August 2024
A fire that broke out on a cargo ship docked at China’s Ningbo Port resulted in a significant explosion on 9 August. Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport said one of its ships carrying hazardous materials caught fire at the port, one of the world's busiest, causing the blast.
Image: China Central Television
The incident happened at around 13:40 local time when CCTV capturing the moment of the explosion. In the dramatic footage, large plumes of black smoke can be seen rising from he ship before a large explosion tears several containers apart and sending a fireball into the sky.
Chinese officials said the explosion could be heard from several miles away. The Ningbo Maritime Search and Rescue Centre said that the ship had been docked at the port's Beilun terminal and had been carrying hazardous materials. Reuters news agency reports that the cargo included lithium batteries and tert-Butyl peroxybenzoate.
Before the explosion occurred, all of the ship’s crew managed to evacuate and were unharmed. No other injuries were reported, despite the size of the blast.