A container ship exploded on Friday at China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, one of the world’s busiest ports, with tremors felt up to a kilometre away, according to Chinese state media.
There were no reports of casualties in the explosion that occurred at about 1:40 pm (0540 GMT) on the cargo ship YM Mobility owned by Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
Footage from China Central Television (CCTV) showed explosions in containers near the bow of the Liberian-flagged ship, scattering cargo and sending up a plume of black smoke.
The Ningbo Maritime Search and Rescue Center said the ship is currently docked at the port’s Beilun terminal and was carrying dangerous goods.
The ship’s crew and dock workers were safe, but some company offices near the dock were hit by the explosion, according to the state-run newspaper Qilu Evening News.
“Our windows were damaged and the roof of our canteen collapsed slightly,” an employee at an affected company located about 1 km from the ship told the Qilu Evening News.
Located in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, this huge port is operated by the Ningbo Zhoushan Port Company.
It is also a major Chinese port for transporting and discharging crude oil.