Cargo ship fire at major Chinese port leaves at least 25 dead

By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2026-09-10 14:35:35 | Updated at 2026-09-10 15:41:19 1 hour ago

BEIJING — A cargo ship docked for repairs in a Chinese port caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday.

The ship was being repaired in the Beihai Shipbuilding Co. at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast.

A photo released by Xinhua news agency identified the ship as the Ocean Melody, which sails under a Liberian flag, according to the tracking website VesselFinder.

Smoke billows out from a cargo ship that caught fire while docked at a port in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Qingdaowolin via AP

Firefighters and crews gather near a repair cargo ship after it caught fire at a port in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Li Aoqiu/Xinhua via AP

A total of 42 people had been on the vessel, and 12 of them were safely evacuated, Xinhua reported.

Five were injured and taken to the hospital, and they remained in stable condition.

The fire started around 11 a.m. Thursday and was extinguished by 2:30 p.m. local time.

Videos online showed workers on the ship attempting to put out the fire.

China’s President Xi Jinping issued “important instructions” to urgently conduct rescues of missing people on the ship, Xinhua said, adding that Premier Li Qiang called for “trapped” people to be rescued.

Five were injured and taken to the hospital, and they remained in stable condition. via REUTERS

Xi also called for ensuring “preventive measures are thoroughly implemented” and “resolutely prevent major and catastrophic accidents.”

Beihai Shipbuilding is part of the state-controlled China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world’s largest shipbuilder.

Its main businesses include shipbuilding and ship repairing, according to Beihai Shipbuilding’s website.

Read Entire Article