A significant explosion occurred on a container ship carrying dangerous goods at a prominent port on China’s Pacific coastline as confirmed by state media and officials on Friday. Surveillance footage released by state broadcaster CCTV captured a massive blast of white smoke succeeded by an orange and yellow fireball that scattered debris and completely enveloped containers stacked up to three stories high. Despite the intensity of the explosion and ensuing fire at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, which is situated just south of Shanghai and ranks among the world’s largest ports, no injuries were reported. The explosion is believed to have originated from a container on the ship, as reported by CCTV.
An aerial image shared by the broadcaster displayed black smoke billowing from a group of containers at one end of the ship and from a region on the dock, while the remaining sections of the ship and its containers seemed unaffected. According to Zhejiang Province Emergency Management Administration, the ship was carrying Class 5 hazardous materials, although the specific nature of these materials was not disclosed.
