BEIJING, China
August 9, 2024 - A powerful blast caused a fireball on a container ship owned by the Taiwanese firm Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation in China's Port of Ningbo on Friday, the company and state media said.
Taiwanese shipping firm Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp said an explosion had occurred on a containership at the Port of Ningbo, China at 20:00 (1200 GMT) on Friday. Taipei-based Yang Ming said in a statement that the marine casualty occurred on the foredeck of YM Mandate, a vessel with a capacity of 14,220 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), while it was berthing at Meishan Terminal in Ningbo. Taiwan's Central News Agency reported that the explosion took place while workers were loading a container onto the ship. The ship was carrying a total of 11,188 containers at the time of the explosion, the company said, adding that the ship has fire extinguishing systems onboard. State media outlet China Central Television (CCTV) showed footage of a huge ball of fire consuming a ship in the port, and thick black smoke billowing high into the sky. The footage included several loud bangs. Ningbo Meishan Port is one of the world's busiest cargo ports and a key transshipment point for containers. Yang Ming said there were no reports of injuries but some containers were damaged and the cause of the explosion was under investigation. The accident follows a fire and explosion on a chemical tanker in the river outside the port last month. The Yangtze River Estuary is used by around 40% of all ships travelling to and from major Shanghai port.
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