The container that exploded in dramatic fashion on board a Yang Ming Marine Transport boxship held lithium batteries and other dangerous substances, China Central Television has cited authorities as saying.
The Taiwanese liner company said on Saturday that although the cause of the accident on board the 6,589-teu YM Mobility (built 2021) in Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on 9 August had yet to be clarified, a preliminary investigation had revealed that a container with dangerous goods exploded.
The company said that according to the cargo owner’s declaration, a refrigerated container had been used instead of a standard dry container, but there was no need to plug in the electricity.
Ningbo was experiencing an extreme heatwave on 9 August, with the outside temperature peaking at 39.5C.
Video footage of the incident showed white smoke billowing from the forward container hold of the YM Mobility, followed shortly by a massive explosion.
Smoke from lithium battery fires contains carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen cyanide, as well as hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride, according to the TT Club.
“First responders attempting to control the blazes encounter what might appear to be smoke but is in fact a mix of toxic gases, generated quickly and in large volumes,” the protection and indemnity club said in a notice on its website.
“These gases once in the atmosphere behave differently to smoke, often pooling at floor level due to their density.”
The explosion ignited a large fire in the forward areas of the vessel.
Yang Ming said on Saturday that flames were no longer visible, although cooling efforts with water sprays were continuing.
All crew members and on-site personnel were “safe and sound”, it added.
The YM Mobility reportedly arrived in Ningbo early on Friday morning from Shanghai to pick up cargo bound for Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates.
The vessel is deployed on Yang Ming’s CGX Far East to Middle East service.
P&I coverage is provided by Britannia P&I.
TradeWinds has approached Yang Ming for further comment on the reports that lithium batteries may have caused the explosion.
