The Dangers of Shipping Hazardous Cargo | Incident at China’s Busiest Port

In the world of shipping and freight forwarding, safety is not just a priority, it’s a commitment. The recent explosion at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, one of China’s busiest, serves as a reminder of the dangers associated with transporting hazardous material.

Surveillance footage of the incident, which can be viewed here, captured the moment an explosion aboard a ship carrying hazardous materials rocked the port, with shockwaves being felt up to a kilometre away. Fortunately, no casualties were reported aboard the ship, owned by Taiwanese container shipping company, Yang Ming Marine Transport.

This incident highlights the unpredictable and often catastrophic nature of transporting hazardous materials. Even with safety protocols in place, the potential for disaster cannot be eliminated.

Commenting on the incident, Managing Director of Wallis Shipping, Stuart Gregory said: “these sorts of situations just highlight why transporting hazardous cargo can be so dangerous, and why we also tell our clients to take out a shipping insurance policy. It’s so important for shippers to declare what is loaded into a container. We are relieved no crew or port workers were harmed in the explosion”.

How to Identify and Handle Hazardous Cargo

Proper packing and weighing of cargo is crucial when it comes to keeping containers and ships safe. If you’re unsure whether your cargo is hazardous, most dangerous goods will display a hazard logo pictogram, including its hazardous classification.

If you are the shipper of hazardous cargo but not the manufacturer, you should be able to obtain a safety data sheet (SDS) from the manufacturer which will include transport information identifying whether or not it is considered to have dangerous or hazardous properties.

Do You Need To Ship Hazardous Materials?

If you are looking to ship hazardous cargo, please contact us. The Wallis Shipping team are trained and experienced in shipping hazardous cargo, with years of experience of shipping items such as paint, batteries and chemicals used in cleaning products. We have a policy to not ship weapons or arms.