August 18 - Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) Tianjin is advising that most tanker operations at the port of Tianjin have been put on hold owing to restrictions issued by the Tianjin Municipal Transport Commission following the explosion last week.
The Commission has cracked down on the handling of tankers and container ships carrying hazardous substances, preventing vessels carrying hazardous goods from berthing and discharging, and has not indicated when port operations will return to normal.
The measure follows the explosion on August 12 at a warehouse located approximately 3km from the nearest container terminal that killed more than 100 people.
For ISS Tianjin it will be business as usual, in spite of the disruption, the company assured its clients today. Shipping data from Reuters earlier in the week also showed that many tankers were beginning to discharge again, suggesting that operations had restarted over the weekend. The Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration's traffic control department released a statement confirming that all vessels, apart from those carrying hazardous goods or bunker oil, were entering and exiting the north section of the port normally.
