BEIJING: A “powerful explosion” ripped through a container vessel at a port in eastern China on Friday, state media reported, prompting emergency services to rush to extinguish the flames.
No casualties or injuries were immediately reported from the blast, despite footage showing a ball of flames covering much of the ship’s deck and spewing debris into the air.
The explosion took place at around 1:40 pm (0540 GMT) on the bow of the YM Mobility, docked at Ningbo-Zhoushan port in Zhejiang province, Xinhua reported. “An investigation is underway” to determine the cause, it said.
Another video clip showed fire engines spraying water onto the ship as black smoke billowed into the sky.
According to the CCTV the fire had been extinguished by 5:00 pm and the local coast guard had been called to assist with the response.
“After preliminary verification, all dock workers and vessel staff are safe and there are no casualties,” CCTV reported. The Ningbo-Zhoushan port is one of the world’s busiest ports in terms of cargo handling.
The incident did not immediately appear to disrupt major shipping lines.
