Major Chinese port reports blast on Taiwanese cargo ship (updated)

YANG MING MARINE TRANSPORT

09/08/2024 09:04

(Adds ship owner in paragraph 2, port operator in paragraph 6)
       BEIJING, Aug 9 (Reuters) - China's Ningbo-Zhoushan Port,
one of the world's busiest ports, reported an explosion on board
a container ship on Friday, Chinese state media reported,
creating shockwaves that were felt a kilometre away. 
    No casualties or injuries were reported after the blast on
YM Mobility, a cargo ship owned by Taiwanese shipping firm Yang
Ming Marine Transport Corp  2609.TW , at around 1:40 p.m. (0540
GMT), China's official Xinhua news agency said. 
        The explosion among containers near the bow of the
Liberia-flagged vessel sent cargo scattering and left a plume of
black smoke, footage from China Central Television (CCTV)
showed.
    The ship, currently docked at the port's Beilun terminal,
was transporting hazardous goods, the Ningbo Maritime Search and
Rescue Centre said.
    Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp did not immediately respond
to a Reuters request for comment.
    While the crew of the ship and dock workers were safe, some
company offices located near the dock were hit by shock waves
from the blast, state-run Qilu Evening News reported. 
    "Our windows were damaged, and the ceiling of our canteen
collapsed a little," a staffer at an affected company, located
about 1 km (0.6 mile) from the ship, told Qilu Evening News. 
        The massive port, located in China's eastern Zhejiang
province, is operated by Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co.  601018.SS .
  
        It is also a major Chinese port loading and discharging
oil from crude carriers. 
  

 (Reporting by Ryan Woo, Ella Cao, Ethan Wang and Qiaoyi Li,
additional reporting vy Yi-Mou Lee; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez, William Maclean and Sharon Singleton)
 ((Ryan.Woo@thomsonreuters.com;))