A fire erupted Thursday (September 10, 2026) on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked in an eastern Chinese port, causing “heavy casualties”, state media said, with some people feared missing or trapped on board.
State news agency Xinhua said that the fire broke out at around 11:15 am (0315 GMT). It was not clear whether it had already been extinguished.
“A foreign cargo ship of Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, Shandong Province, caught fire during its port call for maintenance, causing heavy casualties,” Xinhua said.
The report did not specify the number of casualties or the cause of the fire.
President Xi Jinping called for urgent search and rescue operations.
Xinhua said he “stressed the need to urgently search for missing persons and strictly hold those responsible to account”.
Premier Li Qiang called for the search and rescue of “trapped” people, and for those injured to receive medical treatment.
He also urged authorities to “strictly prevent secondary disasters”.
Xinhua shared a photo of the scene showing a large ship called the Ocean Melody docked at a yard, with several fire trucks stationed in front of it.
Ocean Melody is a 190-metre (632-feet) long bulk carrier sailing under the Liberian flag, according to vessel tracking website MarineTraffic, which located the ship as moored in Qingdao.
Qingdao is the hometown and namesake of Tsingtao beer and a major international maritime hub, connected to more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions, according to state media.
The Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding yard operates as a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
Mr. Xi said that “all regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from this incident, thoroughly investigate and rectify all types of fire hazards”.
There have been several major industrial accidents in China over the last year, where safety regulations are often lax.
In August, an explosion and ensuing fire at a shipyard in Fujian province killed one fire and rescue worker, and injured 12 others, according to state media.
China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings last November, after a huge blaze engulfed several tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing 168 people.
In May, a blast at a fireworks factory in central China killed 37 people, marking one of the nation’s deadliest industrial accidents in years.
And a fire in a shoe factory in eastern Fujian province in July killed at least 28 people.
Published – September 10, 2026 05:09 pm IST
