Chinese port authorities raise safety standards over dangerous cargoes

The ministry stated that port authorities from the provinces of Zhejiang, Hainan, Hebei, Fujian, Liaoning and Guangdong, as well as Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration in Guangdong, have executed various measures to enhance safe operations at their respective ports.

Zhejiang port authority mentioned that it has launched dedicated inspections on dangerous goods and strengthened the supervision of the operations of such cargoes.

Hainan port authority has looked into five areas of improvements for its port operations, mainly in the areas of enhanced supervision and understanding the risks involved in handling hazardous goods, and its Guangdong counterpart has launched four initiatives to improve safe practices.

Hebei port authority said that by end-August, it would have conducted checks on every dangerous goods storage site, while Liaoning port authority has conducted checks to fully understand the potential risks and raised safety standards.

Fujian port authority said it would crack down on operations that failed safety standards.

Two massive explosions last week at a warehouse storing dangerous goods at Tianjin port have killed more than 100 people and sent toxic fumes into the air.