China’s Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) has reiterated warnings about transporting hazardous cargoes properly in the wake of the blast on the YM Mobility boxship docked at Ningbo, an accident captured on video last Friday that made headlines around the world.
Remarkably no one was injured in the explosion onboard the 6,589 teu ship owned by Yang Ming. Videos showed a large amount of smoke coming from the ship followed by a huge blast which started a fire and scattered debris with one container seen flying some 200 m in the air.
Initial reports from authorities in Ningbo suggest the fire came from explosive materials including lithium batteries and tert-butyl peroxybenzoate, a peroxo-compound that must be stored in temperatures not exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. On Friday, the temperature in Ningbo, the world’s largest port, soared to as high as 39 degrees.
The container responsible for the explosion was loaded with hazardous materials, Yang Ming conceded over the weekend, adding that the owner of the goods had declared the container as a reefer used as a substitute for a dry container and did not need plugged-in electricity.
Citing the YM Mobility, as well as two other recent blazes on boxships around the world – the Northern Juvenile and the Maersk Frankfurt – the MSA in a release told shipping lines that they must “fully understand the severe and complex situation of the safety of the transportation of dangerous goods on ships in the high temperature season”.
The ship is expected to be out of action for three months as it heads for repairs once investigations are over.