Explosion of dangerous goods container at Ningbo Port caused fire; no

An explosion occurred today in a hazardous materials container aboard a cargo ship docked at China’s busy Ningbo port.

Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far. The explosion occurred on board the YM Mobility vessel, causing a fire which has now been brought under control. All crew members on board were evacuated safely without incident.

The Liberian-flagged vessel arrived in Ningbo after docking at the port of Shanghai, according to tracking data from MarineTraffic. The ship was docked at Beilun Container Terminal 2 when the explosion occurred, according to a post on Chinese social media by state-owned port operator Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

Yang Ming and the port operator said the exact cause of the explosion was unclear. Yang Ming noted that the container ship owner had declared that the cargo required dry refrigeration and no electricity was required, a translated statement from the company said.

Despite the explosion, the incident did not appear to have a serious impact on major shipping routes.

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang Province is China’s second-busiest port, after the world’s largest ports of Shanghai and Singapore, according to Lloyd’s List.