Port of Antwerp! Container fire, terminal operations disrupted...
A container fire broke out in the Belgian port of Antwerp on the evening of June 23, and suspended operations in part of the container terminal as emergency services worked to eliminate the danger. As a precaution, operations were halted for 12 hours and the ship was evacuated.
At present, the terminal has resumed operations.
WARNING -Confirmed yellow phosphorus
The fire brigade received reports of the container fire at 7.30pm on Sunday, which included the Deurganckdok terminal, one of the port's main container handling areas.
The container burning was determined to contain yellow phosphorus, a chemical commonly used in fertilizers and other industrial applications that is extremely toxic. It is flammable when exposed to air, can cause burns when inhaled, and can be fatal to humans in small amounts.
As a precaution, both the MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET) terminal and DP World facility were evacuated. A ship anchored in the port was also evacuated and all ship traffic in Deurganckdok was temporarily halted.
The fire department reported that it worked with chemical company BASF and the port. After about an hour, they cut it short but continued to work to secure the container. As a result, operations at MPET and Deurganckdok remain suspended.
As of 7:30 a.m. Monday, the fire department reported that the container had been moved to a "safe location."
The port also said that shipping in Deurganckdok could resume, adding that they were doing everything possible to restart all activities as soon as possible.
This is the second incident this month to disrupt operations at the Port of Antwerp container terminal.
WARNING-There was a fuel leak
On June 6, port officials detected an oil spill in the water, temporarily closing part of the port and disrupting ship traffic. They determined the oil came from a refueling operation at the container terminal.
An investigation revealed that 20 vessels, including sea vessels and barges, were contaminated at Deurganckdock. Oil was also found in the channel and on the walls of the pier.
Contaminated ships are not allowed to leave port until they are cleaned up, and waterways also need to be cleaned. One of the port's locks also suspended operations.
Some vessels were able to clean up quickly and continue working, but operations continued to be affected. It was not until 18 June that the Port of Antwerp reported that clean-up operations had been completed.
Recently, a number of shipping companies, Wanhai Shipping, OOCL, Asia Sea Shipping, etc., have issued announcements, reiterating that they will impose heavy fines on those who conceal dangerous goods. Among them, Wanhai is the highest. If dangerous goods are hidden, missed or inconsistent with the goods, once found out, Party A shall pay a penalty of USD100,000/UNIT.
In this reminder, the freight forwarders who have trade with the port recently are concerned about the delay and impact of the cargo transportation caused by this incident.
At the same time, we also remind everyone to remember not to conceal dangerous goods, be sure to declare truthfully, concealment is likely to lead to serious accidents, face huge fines, serious will bear criminal responsibility!
Sunny Worldwide Logistics has more than 20 years of freight forwarding history,and over half of staffs working in Sunny about 5-13years.Emergency solutions must be offered with 30 minutes if any. You may not find other companies like us in Shenzhen.
