Explosion from a container ship at Dubai's Jebel Ali port

Explosion from a container ship at Dubai's Jebel Ali port (Image:Dubai Media Officer Twitter)

At around 11:45 p.m. local time (07:45 GMT), Dubai residents filming with their phones from high-rise buildings posted frantic videos on social media showing a glowing ball of light night sky.

Clemence Lefaix, who was near the site of the explosion, posted a photo of bright orange lights in the night sky in front of apartment buildings.

“I was out on my balcony. My friend saw something yellow like the sun. I took the picture and then there was an explosion," Lefaix told AFP news agency.

Residents in the area where the blast occurred said windows and doors in their homes were shaken as a result of the incident.

Dubai authorities said a fire on a container ship docked at a key central port in the Middle East was brought under control and the explosion was detected up to 25 kilometers from the port.

“A fire caused by an explosion within a container on board a ship at Jebel Ali Port has been brought under control; no casualties have been reported,” the Dubai Media Office (DMO) said on Twitter.

A statement was later released on behalf of H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, the United Arab Emirates' Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said the fire was under control in 44 minutes and there were no deaths.

There were no immediate reports of casualties at the port, which is also a busy port for American warships appearing outside of the United States.

Earlier on Thursday, the Dubai government released a statement saying emergency services were under control. Authorities posted footage on social media of firefighters putting out fires from giant shipping containers.

The light of the fire is visible in the background as civil defense teams work to contain the blaze.

The extent of the damage caused to the sprawling port and surrounding cargo remains unclear. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined.

Port officials said they were "taking all necessary measures to ensure that the normal navigation of vessels continues without interruption".

Mona al-Marri, director general of the DMO, told Al-Arabiya TV that the incident "can happen anywhere in the world" and the government communications office has been working to issue statements. dad quickly.

The agency said the ship, which has not been identified, was preparing to dock at one of the docks "away from the main route of the port".

Fortunately, the rear of the ship and the living quarters were largely undamaged.

Al Arabiya said Dubai authorities announced the ship's crew had been evacuated in time.

The explosion inside the container can be caused by dangerous goods. The container shipping industry is regularly affected by deadly fires and explosions caused by misrepresented dangerous goods. The most recent high-profile cargo fire involved the explosion of the X-Press Pearl off the coast of Sri Lanka, which sank on June 2, two weeks after the fire started in a cargo container that leaked nitric acid. 

The Port of Jebel Ali located at the northern end of Dubai is the largest built deep-sea port in the world and serves cargo from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Asia.

Jebel Ali Port is operated by Dubai-based DP World. The port has four large container terminals that can dock some of the largest ships in the world. The port is not only an important global freight hub but also a lifeline for Dubai and the surrounding emirates, serving as an entry point for essential imports.

DP World describes Jebel Ali Port as a “gateway hub” and a “critical link in the global trade network” connecting Eastern and Western markets. The company did not immediately make any public statements about the explosion.

Source: Phaata.com (According to Aljazeera / SeatradeMaritime)

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