A serious explosion occurred on board the Liberia-flagged container ship YM Mobility whilst berthed at Beilun port, in China, on 9 August, one of the busiest ports in the world.
As it is reported by shipping claims specialist WK Webster, it is not currently clear what the full consequences of the explosion are. At least three tugs have been deployed to provide emergency support.
GPS data captured by the MarineTraffic website showed a number of tugs positioned near the container ship in the hours after the explosion.
Images shared on social media showed massive clouds of smoke rising after the explosion.
MV YM Mobility is currently deployed in Hapag-Lloyd’s Asia Gulf Express (AG2) service, and it was in operations at Ningbo Beilun Terminal on August 9.
Germany’s container giant Hapag-Lloyd has confirmed that the vessel was carrying Hapag-Lloyd containers, and it is advising its customers that they will be contacted separately with detailed information about the process.
“You might have already seen the regrettable news about the fire on MV YM Mobility at the port of Ningbo. We know that the vessel was carrying Hapag-Lloyd containers and therefore, we will be contacting our customers separately with detailed information about the process. Due to its nature, this incident may cause delays or disruptions in operations, which might impact your shipments. We are working with the terminal to assess the situation and take necessary steps to minimize the impact on our operations,” said the company in its customers news on Friday.
The claims specialist WK Webster reported that “damage to cargo stowed near the explosion will have inevitably occurred and which may include fire, heat, and smoke damage.”
Furthermore, it recommends its clients to contact them if they are concerned with any cargo stowed on board this vessel, so immediately steps to be taken for the protection of the client’s interests.
“We have surveyors on standby to assist with surveys of damaged cargo that may be necessary. Aside from damage to affected cargo and ensuing recovery issues, it is also possible that this matter will give rise to general average and/or salvage issues. We are monitoring the situation closely and will report further once the situation becomes clearer,” it added.
