Qingdao Shipyard Fire Kills 25

At least 25 people have died and five remain missing after a fire broke out aboard a foreign cargo ship undergoing repairs at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding in Qingdao, Shandong Province, eastern China. The vessel, identified in photographs released by China’s state news agency Xinhua as the Ocean Melody, was sailing under a Liberian flag and was docked at one of China’s major shipyards when the incident occurred. Chinese state media reported that 42 people were aboard the ship. Twelve were safely evacuated, while the remaining crew members were killed or are still unaccounted for. The fire reportedly began at about 11am local time on Thursday and was extinguished by approximately 2:30pm. The article does not provide details about the identities of those killed or the suspected cause of the fire. Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding is part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world’s largest shipbuilder. Its operations include ship construction and repair. The incident occurred while the vessel was in port for maintenance, resulting in what authorities described as heavy casualties. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for intensified search and rescue efforts, a prompt investigation into the cause of the fire and accountability measures. He also instructed authorities to draw lessons from the incident and inspect and rectify fire hazards more broadly. Premier Li Qiang urged officials to locate people who may still be trapped, ensure injured people receive medical treatment and prevent secondary disasters. Authorities are continuing search operations and investigating the circumstances surrounding the deadly fire.

At least 25 people have died after a foreign-flagged cargo ship caught fire while docked for repairs at a Chinese port, according to Chinese state media. The incident occurred at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time on Thursday at the Beihai Shipbuilding Company in Qingdao, a major shipping hub on China’s northeastern coast. There were 42 people aboard the vessel. Twelve were safely evacuated, while five others were taken to hospital with injuries and were reported to be in stable condition. The available reports did not clarify whether additional people remained trapped or missing, whether the fire had been extinguished, or what caused the blaze. State news agency Xinhua released a photograph identifying the ship as the Ocean Melody. The vessel reportedly sails under a Liberian flag, based on information from the public vessel-tracking website VesselFinder. The ship was undergoing repairs when the fire began. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for urgent search-and-rescue operations and instructed authorities to search for missing people and hold those responsible strictly accountable. Premier Li Qiang also called for efforts to rescue anyone trapped, ensure medical treatment for the injured, and prevent secondary disasters. Xi further ordered regional authorities and relevant government departments to learn lessons from the incident and conduct thorough investigations and remediation of fire hazards. The article does not provide further details about the identities of the victims, the ship’s owner, the scale of the damage, or the progress of the emergency response.

Twenty-five people have died after a fire broke out aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing maintenance at a shipyard in Qingdao, a major port city in eastern China. China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that 42 people were aboard the vessel when the blaze began at approximately 11:15 local time on 10 September. Seventeen people were evacuated, five of whom were taken to hospital and were reported to be in stable condition. The fire was extinguished slightly more than three hours after it started. State media photographs identified the ship as the Ocean Melody, a 190-metre Liberia-flagged carrier that arrived in Qingdao on 31 August, according to the vessel-tracking service MarineTraffic. The cause of the fire has not been established. An eyewitness told AFP that thick smoke rose from the ship but said there had been no explosion. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for comprehensive search-and-rescue efforts, while Premier Li Qiang urged rescuers to locate people trapped aboard and warned authorities to prevent secondary disasters. The incident occurred less than a month after an explosion at a shipyard in Fujian province, southeastern China, killed one rescue worker and injured 12 others. Qingdao is one of the world’s busiest ports and a major centre for international trade. The report did not provide further details about the identities of those killed, the precise location of the fire on the ship, or the circumstances that caused it. CCTV was the source for the casualty and firefighting information, while state media released images of the damaged vessel.

Twenty-five people were killed Thursday in a fire aboard the foreign-flagged dry bulk carrier Ocean Melody while it was undergoing repairs at the Qingdao Beihai shipyard in Qingdao, in eastern China’s Shandong province. The vessel had arrived at the state-owned shipyard on Aug. 31 and remained there for repair and inspection work when the fire began at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. There were 42 people aboard the ship. Twelve were evacuated safely, while five others were injured and taken to hospital. The fire was extinguished by early afternoon, state media reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for intensified search-and-rescue operations, a rapid investigation into the incident and accountability measures. Images released by Xinhua identified the vessel as the Ocean Melody. LSEG ship-tracking data described it as a 20-year-old Liberia-flagged dry bulk carrier managed by Yuyangkunpeng Shanghai Shp Mgm, with Huili Shipping Co. Ltd. listed as the registered owner. The ship’s arrival and continued presence at the shipyard were also confirmed through LSEG data. The Qingdao Beihai shipyard is controlled by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, or CSSC, a state-owned company described as one of the world’s largest shipbuilders. CSSC identifies itself as China’s principal naval shipbuilder and the country’s largest designer and builder of ships and offshore equipment. The available report does not give a cause for the fire or provide further details about the identities of those killed or injured. The incident is expected to be examined through the investigation requested by Chinese authorities.

A fire aboard the cargo ship Ocean Melody while it was docked for repairs at Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in Qingdao, China, killed 25 people, according to Chinese state media. The vessel, which sails under a Liberian flag, had 42 people aboard. Twelve were safely evacuated, while five injured people were taken to a hospital and remained in stable condition. The fire began at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. local time. Videos posted online showed workers trying to suppress the blaze. A witness from a nearby residential compound told Agence France-Presse that he saw thick smoke coming from the ship but neither saw an obvious explosion nor smelled anything unusual. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered urgent rescue efforts for anyone still missing and called for stronger preventive measures to avoid major and catastrophic accidents. Premier Li Qiang also directed authorities to rescue people who might be trapped. The shipyard is part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a state-controlled company described as the world’s largest shipbuilder. Its operations include shipbuilding and ship repairs. The incident comes amid a series of serious industrial accidents in China, where safety regulations are often reported to be weakly enforced. Recent incidents cited in the article include a shipyard explosion and fire in Fujian province that killed one emergency responder and injured 12 people, a fireworks factory blast that killed 37, and a shoe-factory fire that killed at least 28. The article also notes a national campaign addressing high-rise building fire hazards launched after a deadly residential fire in Hong Kong.

At least 25 people were killed and five others remained missing after a fire broke out aboard the bulk carrier Ocean Melody at a shipyard in Qingdao, in northeastern China. The vessel, which was undergoing repairs at Beihai Shipbuilding Co., caught fire at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV. The blaze was extinguished around 2:30 p.m., or 0630 UTC. The 190-meter-long ship had 42 people aboard when the fire began. It sails under the Liberian flag and was identified by state news agency Xinhua. Beihai Shipbuilding is part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders. The cause of the fire had not been determined. Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed authorities to conduct search-and-rescue operations and investigate those who may be responsible for the incident. He also called on local governments and relevant departments to learn lessons from the disaster and thoroughly inspect and correct fire hazards. The incident occurred at one of China’s largest ports and prompted a major emergency response. The deaths and ongoing search for missing people highlight the dangers associated with repair work aboard large commercial vessels. Authorities had not publicly identified a cause or explained the circumstances surrounding the victims at the time of the report.

At least 25 people were killed after the international cargo ship Ocean Melody caught fire while docked for repairs at Qingdao’s Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in eastern China, according to Chinese state media. The vessel, which sails under a Liberian flag, had 42 people aboard. Seventeen people were evacuated safely, including five who were injured. The fire reportedly started at about 11:15 a.m. local time on 10 September and open flames were extinguished around 2:30 p.m. Chinese broadcaster CCTV later reported that all 25 missing people had been located by 7:24 p.m., with none showing signs of life. The report therefore confirmed the deaths of 25 people, while the 17 evacuated individuals accounted for the rest of those aboard. The ship was undergoing repairs at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, a major shipyard and subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Qingdao is a major shipping hub on China’s northeastern coast. President Xi Jinping issued instructions calling for urgent rescue efforts and a search for missing people. Premier Li Qiang directed authorities to locate and rescue those trapped, provide medical care to the injured, and prevent secondary disasters. Xi also called on regional authorities and relevant departments to learn lessons from the incident and conduct a thorough investigation and rectification of fire hazards. The article does not identify the cause of the blaze or provide further details about the condition of the injured. The incident highlights the dangers associated with fires aboard cargo vessels undergoing maintenance and prompted a high-level emergency response from China’s central government.

A fire broke out Thursday aboard the cargo ship Ocean Melody while it was docked for repairs at Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in Qingdao, a major port on China’s northeastern coast. Chinese state media reported that 25 people died in the incident. The vessel, which sails under a Liberian flag according to VesselFinder, had 42 people aboard. Twelve were evacuated safely, while five others were injured and hospitalized in stable condition. The fire began at approximately 11 a.m. local time and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. Videos shared online showed workers attempting to fight the blaze from the vessel. The incident prompted an immediate response from China’s top leadership. President Xi Jinping directed authorities to urgently rescue missing or trapped people and called for stronger preventive measures to avoid major or catastrophic accidents. Premier Li Qiang also instructed officials to prioritize the rescue of those believed to be trapped aboard the ship. Beihai Shipbuilding is part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a state-controlled company described as the world’s largest shipbuilder. The facility’s operations include shipbuilding and ship repair. The article does not identify the cause of the fire or provide further details about the victims. Qingdao is an important shipping hub in Shandong province, and the accident occurred while the vessel was undergoing maintenance rather than operating at sea. Photographs released by Xinhua and the Associated Press showed thick smoke rising from the ship and firefighters and crews assembled near the repair dock.