In brief
At 11:15 a.m. local time a cargo vessel, the 623‑ft long Ocean Melody, was engulfed in a fire at a Qingdao shipyard. The blaze, which lasted just over three hours, claimed 25 of the 42 people on board and injured twelve others. Seven crew members were rescued, with five sustaining serious but stable injuries. China’s state broadcaster CCTV blamed the blaze as an accident and said the ship was undergoing service when the emergency broke out. Premier Li Qiang urged a swift rescue and prevention of secondary disasters, while President Xi Jinping called for a full‑scale search and rescue operation. The incident underscores growing safety concerns in China’s busy ports and follows a recent explosion at a Fujian shipyard that killed a rescue worker last month.
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A cargo ship docked at a Qingdao shipyard caught fire at 11:15 a.m. local time on Friday, killing 25 people and leaving 12 injured. The vessel, the 190‑m-length Ocean Melody, was under maintenance when the blaze broke out and was eventually extinguished after a little more than three hours.
The fire claimed 25 of the 42 crew members aboard. Seven people were rescued, with five of those hospitalized in stable condition, according to CCTV reports.
Qingdao, one of China’s busiest ports, is a major trading hub that handles a high volume of maritime traffic. The cause of the fire remains unknown; an eyewitness told AFP there was thick smoke but no explosion.
President Xi Jinping called for an “all‑out” search and rescue while Premier Li Qiang stressed the need to prevent secondary disasters. The incident comes just over a month after a shipyard explosion in Fujian province that killed a rescue worker and injured 12.
The Ocean Melody arrived in Qingdao on 31 August and had been undergoing maintenance when the flames erupted. The blaze was reported by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, and images released showed thick smoke spiralling off the ship and emergency vehicles rushing to the dock.