The Yangtze Police Yueyang branch confirmed last week that a major fire on 18 July at the private terminal of Yueyang Chemical Plant was caused by the mishandling of the highly flammable solvent cyclohexane. The chemical leaked from a pump during unloading and then exploded after coming into contact with a naked flame.

On 18 July, the vessel 'Gantian Yihua 046’ from Jiangxi province was unloading 1,080 tons of cyclohexane when its bow caught fire. The local maritime safety authorities and maritime police immediately sent a rescue team, while the Emergency Response Code was activated at the Yangtze River Administration under the Ministry of Transport, and a deputy director took charge of co-ordinating the rescue efforts.

It took more than two hours to extinguish the fire. One person was seriously injured and direct losses amounted to Rmb2.75m.