A vessel owned by Taiwan’s cargo container shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp caught fire after an explosion occurred in a container on board while the ship was at the busy Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in eastern China on Friday.
Yang Ming Marine confirmed the incident and said a preliminary investigation found that the explosion occurred in a container on its vessel, the YM Mobility, which reportedly arrived in Ningbo early on Friday morning after its last call in Shanghai.
“Immediate fire control measures were taken, and the situation is now under control,” Yang Ming Marine said in a statement. “All crew members have safely evacuated.”
Photo: Screen grab from Asia Tech’s X account
The container was loaded with hazardous materials, Yang Ming Marine said, 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.
Yang Ming Marine said Huan Ming (Shanghai) International Shipping Agency Co, a subsidiary of Yang Ming Group, has been working with the authorities to manage the situation.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, the shipper said.
Yang Ming Marine said the YM Mobility is assigned to service the route between East Asia and the Middle East.
The shipper added that it would provide updates on the vessel’s status, cargo shipment and schedule adjustments when further information becomes available.
The explosion occurred at about 1:40pm on Friday, with shockwaves felt a kilometer away, while the YM Mobility was docked at the port’s Beilun terminal, Chinese media reported.
The container was loaded with materials that were vulnerable to explosions, such as lithium batteries and parabens, and it could take three months to repair the vessel, China Central Television (CCTV) cited authorities as saying.
After docking at Ningbo, the YM Mobility, equipped with 20 crew members, was scheduled to head to Jakarta, Indonesia, CCTV said.
The YM Mobility, built in 2011, is a Liberian flagged vessel with a capacity to transport 6,600 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers, Chinese media said.
TEU is a standard measurement of a cargo ship’s capacity.
The reports also said that the explosion was caused by overheating, and that the container that exploded belonged to South Korean logistics and shipping operators HMM Co.
Five countries have in the past few months canceled preferential visa treatment for Taiwan passport holders due to pressure from China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. It was responding to a report by the National Audit Office that the number of countries offering preferential visa treatment to holders of Taiwan passports had dropped from 171 at the end of last year to 166 in April. In its Central Government Budget Audit Report, the National Audit Office also said that the ministry had failed to provide timely updates on the visa changes, which could affect Taiwan passport holders’ overseas travel. In response
More Taiwanese spectators at the Paris Olympics have reported having signs and banners confiscated by security staff or snatched by Chinese fans. Sandy Hsueh (薛雅俶), president of the Taiwanese Association in France, said that three security personnel confiscated a blank piece of cardboard from her at Sunday’s men’s doubles badminton final, in which Taiwan’s Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) defeated China’s Liang Weikeng (梁偉鏗) and Wang Chang (王昶) to win their second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the event. A staff member told her they had “received an instruction from the Olympic Games saying that anything related to Taiwan or
‘UNITING TAIWAN’: While the boxer’s home town is offering free train and sports center access, stores around the nation are offering discounts to celebrate her victory New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) yesterday declared Aug. 12 “Lin Yu-ting Day” after the Taiwanese boxer won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg category at the Paris Olympics. Lin’s hometown is in the city’s Yingge District (鶯歌). The final between Lin and Poland’s Julia Szeremeta was broadcast live at the city hall early yesterday morning, where Hou, Lin’s mother and more than 200 people rooted for her. Thunderous roars and applause erupted at the city hall when the referee lifted Lin’s hand to show she had won. To celebrate Lin’s hard-won victory, Aug. 12 would be designated Lin
A vessel owned by Taiwan’s cargo container shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp caught fire after an explosion occurred in a container on board while the ship was at the busy Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in eastern China on Friday. Yang Ming Marine confirmed the incident and said a preliminary investigation found that the explosion occurred in a container on its vessel, the YM Mobility, which reportedly arrived in Ningbo early on Friday morning after its last call in Shanghai. “Immediate fire control measures were taken, and the situation is now under control,” Yang Ming Marine said in a statement. “All crew