On the morning of March 8, local time, a container terminal in the port of Cartagena, Colombia, suddenly exploded, followed by a raging fire that quickly spread. As one of the important ports in South America, the accident in Cartagena port not only threatens the life safety of workers, the loss of goods, but also may have a certain impact on local logistics trade.

Witnesses described the explosion at a cargo warehouse in the "CONTECAR" terminal, accompanied by a loud noise and sending flames and black smoke into the sky. Workers fled the scene in panic, while the fire quickly spread to neighbouring buildings and the situation was critical.

Since 11 am, firefighters have rushed to the scene and put out the fire. However, due to the ferocity of the fire, the sound of explosions continued to ring out an hour after the fire started, and local residents even reported seeing black substances falling from the sky. In order to prevent the further spread of the fire and ensure the safety of personnel, facilities and residents near the port were evacuated.

The mayor of Cartagena, Dumec Turbe Paz, posted timely updates on the fire on social media, saying: "The fire is now under control and the employees are safe. We will do everything in our power to control the situation." The mayor's office quickly set up a unified command post to coordinate rescue efforts. In addition, Ecopetrol staff have been active in providing support to assist with this emergency.

As one of the main port terminals in Colombia, the CONTECAR terminal in the Port of Cartagena plays a pivotal role in the import and export container traffic. The explosion not only affected the hearts of the local people, but also caused the outside world to pay attention to the safety of port operations. There is a lot of discussion about the impact that the next incident may have on local trade and logistics, and how to strengthen security management in this area in the future.

Cartagena is one of the important gateways of the entire American continent to the outside world. The Port of Cartagena is strategically located at the intersection of the world's major shipping routes, serving nearly 20 shipping companies and connecting with 840 ports in more than 150 countries and regions around the world, and has always been one of the centers of maritime trade in the American continent and the Caribbean.

As an important port in Colombia, the port currently handles 40% and 50% of Colombia's container shipping imports and exports, respectively.

The port of Cartagena has 2 specialized container terminals. One of them is on the island of Manka (Manga). The other container terminal (CONTECAR) is located at the entrance to the Mamonal industrial zone, a major logistics and re-export hub in the Caribbean.

With the deepening of the rescue work, the authorities will also actively respond to social concerns and release the latest information through the media to ensure that the public is aware of the rescue progress and follow-up measures.

With the fire gradually brought under control, attention has been focused on investigating the cause of the explosion and how to fundamentally prevent similar incidents from happening again. Pay attention to the subsequent handling of the incident and how to restore the normal operation of the port under the premise of ensuring safety.

Source |海运网

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