Sinopec chemical tanker explodes on Yangtze River, one missing

Sinopec chemical tanker explodes on Yangtze River, one missing
Jason JiangMarch 18th, 2019 https://splash247.com/sinopec-chemical-tanker-explodes-on-yangtze-river-...

Chemical tanker Chuan Wei 5 suffered an explosion onboard while on the Yangtze River on Friday night.

The incident happened when the vessel was anchoring near Yizheng, Jiangsu. Nanjing Maritime Safety Administration deployed two firefighting vessels, three tugboats, and two oil spill response vessels to the scene and managed to put out the fire within a few hours. Most of the crew onboard were evacuated safely, however one crew member remains missing following the incident.

According to the administration, the vessel’s tank was empty when the incident happened and no oil spill has been detected near the vessel.

Search and rescue operations for the crew continue and authorities have started investigations into cause of the incident.

The vessel is operated by Chongqing Chuanwei Logistics, the chemical logistics unit of Sinopec Chongqing SVW Chemical.