When Repair Become a Nightmare, Cargo Ship Fire Kills 25 in China

A fire aboard a foreign flagged cargo ship at a shipyard in Qingdao, eastern China, has killed 25 people, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. The vessel had 42 people on board when the blaze broke out. CCTV reported that 17 people were evacuated, with five taken to hospital and said to be in stable condition. The fire erupted at around 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT) while the ship was undergoing maintenance at a ship yard in Qingdao. Emergency crews managed to extinguish the blaze just over three hours later, according to state media. Photos released by Chinese media identified the vessel as the Ocean Melody, a 190 metre (623ft) Liberia flagged cargo carrier. Tracking data from Marine Traffic showed that the ship had arrived in Qingdao on 31 August. Qingdao is one of China's major trading centres and is home to one of the world's busiest ports, making the incident particularly significant for maritime safety in the region. Cause of Fire Remains Unknown The cause of the fire has not yet been established. An eyewitness quoted by AFP said thick smoke could be seen rising from the vessel, although he reported hearing no explosion. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an all out search and rescue operation, while Premier Li Qiang urged authorities to take steps to prevent secondary disaster. The incident has also raised renewed concerns about safety at Chinese ship yard. It comes less than a month after an explosion at a shipyard in the south eastern province of Fujian killed a rescue worker and injured 12 others. Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Qingdao fire, including how the blaze started, the safety measures in place during maintenance work and whether any failures contributed to the loss of life. For now, the tragedy leaves 25 people dead and highlights the potentially devastating consequences of fire aboard vessels undergoing repair and maintenance.