“This type of incident should never happen and is another example of how one failure in ocean container shipping can have catastrophic consequences,” says Peter Sand, Xenetal chief analyst. Sand pointed out that if this explosion had happened at sea rather than at a berth in a port, the crew and ship would have been in even more perilous danger. “An investigation will take place and the industry must learn from it. Container ships are used to transport hazardous and potentially explosive cargo, so it is of paramount importance that robust safety measures are in place,” he noted. Ningbo-Zhoushan is the second most important container shipping port in China behind Shanghai, handling more than 100,000 TEUs each day.
