^ An apocalyptic scene from the Tianjin port explosions.
114 people have died, 70 are still missing and 698 people are injured. These terrible figures are the toll from last Wednesday’s explosions in Tianjin.
The site of the blasts was a logistical warehouse that handled hazardous chemicals.
The Ministry of Transport in China have advised that they will strengthen the supervision of dangerous goods following this appalling incident. It has been revealed that the Chinese owner of the warehouse did not a license to handle hazardous goods until two months before the disaster, according to its government-registered company records.
Port authorities from provinces including Zhejiang, Liaoning and Guangdong have asked that shipping companies that are involved in the handling of hazardous goods conduct self inspections on safety standards and have pledged to crack down and make a stand on illegal activities (all this according to the Ministers website).
Whilst any improvement is better than nothing coming out of such a shocking incident, we can’t help but wonder if it will be enough to stop this from happening again.
The Port of Tianjin is slowly beginning to resume normal operations. Vessel delays remain relentless amid persistent congestion.
Source: gcaptain.com & lloydslistaustralia.com.au
