At least 25 people were killed and five others injured after a fire broke out aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs at a major shipyard in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao on Thursday, authorities said. Twelve people were safely evacuated from the vessel.
The fire erupted at around 11.15 am local time aboard the cargo vessel at China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding facility. There were 42 people aboard at the time. Twenty-five people were initially reported missing, but rescuers subsequently located all of them and none showed signs of life. The five injured people were taken to hospital and were reported to be in stable condition. The blaze was extinguished by early afternoon.
Liberia-flagged vessel identified
Images released by state-run Xinhua news agency identified the vessel as the Ocean Melody, a Liberia-flagged dry bulk carrier. Ship-tracking information indicates that the 20-year-old vessel arrived at the Qingdao shipyard on August 31 and had remained there for repair and inspection work.
Emergency management officials, firefighters, police and medical teams were mobilised following the blaze, while the Ministry of Emergency Management sent a working group to Qingdao to guide rescue and investigation efforts. Authorities in Shandong province also deployed resources to assist operations at the site.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Investigators are expected to examine the repair work being carried out aboard the vessel and the circumstances in which the blaze started.
Xi orders probe, accountability
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to intensify rescue efforts, support those affected by the disaster and quickly determine its cause. He also called for those responsible to be held accountable in accordance with the law.
Xi directed local governments and departments to draw lessons from the accident, identify and eliminate fire hazards and ensure that preventive measures are properly implemented to avert major industrial accidents. Premier Li Qiang ordered authorities to provide full treatment to the injured, handle the aftermath and guard against secondary disasters.
Li also directed the State Council’s safety authorities to use the incident as a warning to strengthen workplace safety responsibilities and deepen inspections for potential hazards across regions and industries.
Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding is a major shipbuilding and repair facility controlled by state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Its operations include commercial shipbuilding, vessel repairs and offshore engineering. The sprawling facility occupies about 330 hectares along approximately nine kilometres of coastline.