MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shipping and logistics companies reported delays and disruptions after the deadly explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin as some oil cargoes were still barred from one of its wharves, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
About 110 vessels are anchored in the sea off the port, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, and freight companies including Auckland, New Zealand-based Mainfreight and Japan’s Sankyu said the blast will cause delays or impact their businesses. Fortescue Metals Group and BHP Billiton said operations at the port resumed and they didn’t anticipate an impact to deliveries.
Tianjin is the 10th-busiest container port globally and has become a northern gateway for ore, coal, automobiles and oil into China, the world’s biggest user of energy, metals and grains. About 17% of the nation’s ethylene imports, 15% of its wheat deliveries and 30% of steel exports in the first half of 2015 were transported via the Tianjin customs area, government data show.
The Tianjin government still can’t determine the exact quantity and types of toxic chemicals that caused the blast, Gao Huaiyou, vice chief at the city’s safety bureau, said to reporters, according to CCTV footage.
There were 60 bulk carriers, 37 dry cargo and passenger ships, as well as nine tankers anchored outside the port as of 2:44 p.m. local time Friday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The total figure includes four ships used to support floating platforms in the sea.
A China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. spokesman said Thursday its refinery near Tianjin was operating normally and that it didn’t see any immediate impact on plant logistics. The refinery has capacity of 251,000 bpd, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Operations at PetroChina’s Dagang refinery that’s in the southern part of Tianjin municipality aren’t affected, a spokesman said. He declined to comment further.
Total throughput at Tianjin rose 10% in 2014 to 445.8 million metric tons, according to Hong Kong-listed Tianjin Port Development. It handled 110.5 million tons of metal ore, 88.9 million tons of coal and 18.7 million tons of crude oil, the equivalent of 375,000 bpd. China National Offshore Oil Corp.’s Tianjin FLNG, the nation’s first floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, is nearby.
The late-night blasts Wednesday, which may have been the result of a fire, spewed toxic material into the air and shattered windows in buildings for kilometers around. China’s earthquake center said the biggest explosion was equivalent to a 2.9-magnitude temblor.
The Binhai district is also home to the manufacturing sites of coatings producer COSCO Kansai Paint & Chemicals Co and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) maker Tianjin Dagu Chemical.
MRC