A vessel carrying 690 tons of o-Xylene on its way to a bunker fuel facility in the Wuhu section of the Yangtze River collided with an oncoming vessel loaded with 3,000 tons of coal on the morning of 16 April. Water leaked into the pump room and cabin.

Wuhan Maritime Safety Authorities activated the emergency response code and dispatched a patrol boat and two salvage vessels immediately. The vessel carrying dangerous goods was stabilised at a location 50 metres downstream of the bunker service station without contaminating the river, and the entire load of o-Xylene was transferred safely to another vessel.

O-Xylene is an aromatic, flammable and explosive substance that is used in the large-scale production of plasticisers.