Tianjin Port Explosion, 12 August 2015
The 12 August 2015 fire and explosions at a Tianjin Port hazardous goods warehouse killed 165 people with 8 missing after dried nitrocellulose self-ignited.
The Tianjin Port explosion was the fire and pair of explosions at the Ruihai International Logistics hazardous goods warehouse in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China, on the night of 12 August 2015. The State Council investigation team’s report, published in February 2016, records 165 dead, 8 missing and 798 injured admitted to hospital, and a direct economic loss of CNY 6.866 billion.
The report found that nitrocellulose in a container in the arrival area had lost its wetting agent, dried locally, self-heated in high temperatures and ignited. The fire reached about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in the arrival area in breach of the rules, and two explosions followed at 23:34:06 and 23:34:37, estimated at about 15 and 430 tonnes of TNT equivalent. Wetted nitrocellulose is a Division 4.1 desensitized explosive under the IMDG Code only while its wetting condition holds.
The full article will cover the investigation findings, the licensing and storage failures the report identified, and the changes to dangerous goods storage at Chinese ports that followed.