At approximately 11:15 a.m. on September 10, a fire broke out on a foreign-flagged cargo ship at Qingdao BeihaiShipbuilding, part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSc), while it was docked for repairs, resulting in 25 deaths and 5 injuries.
According to CCTV News, in order to earnestly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s importantinstructions, and in accordance with the instructions of Premier Li Qiang and other central leaders, and based onrelevant national laws and regulations, the State Council has established an investigation team for the “9.1o’major fire accident at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of CSsc in Qingdao, Shandong Province.
Theinvestigation team is led by the Ministry of Emergency Management, with participation from the Ministry of ForeignAffairs, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry ofIransport, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Conmission of the State counci1, the Al1-chinaFederation of Trade Unions, the State Fire and Rescue Administration, and the Shandong Provincial People’sGovernment, among other relevant parties, to conduct a higher-level investigation into the accident.
on the afternoon of september 14, the State Council accident investigation team held its first plenary meeting.Song Yuanming-head of the investigation team, deputy directothe Office of the State Council Work SafetyCommittee, and vice minister of Emergency Management-preside the meeting, outlining the investigationarrangements and setting out work requirements.
Before the meeting began, all attendees stood in solemn silence to pay tribute to the victims of the accident.
The meeting emphasized that the accident investigation must earnestly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions as well as the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. Adhering to the principles of being “scientific and rigorous, law-abiding and compliant, fact-based, and results-oriented” and the “four-not-let-go” rule (ensuring the cause is identified, those responsible are held accountable, rectification measures are implemented, and lessons are learned), the investigation must swiftly determine the cause of the accident, fully clarify the responsibilities of the enterprise, industry regulators, and local authorities, and strictly hold responsible parties accountable in accordance with the law.
At the same time, the meeting required local governments, relevant departments, and central state-owned enterprises to draw profound lessons from the incident. They must firmly enforce the “three-musts” principle regarding safety supervision (supervising industries, businesses, and professional operations) at every level of government and ensure that the principal heads of enterprises fulfill their responsibilities. Comprehensive inspections and rectifications of fire hazards must be conducted, and illegal subcontracting and sub-contracting practices must be strictly investigated. Furthermore, authorities must apply lessons learned from this incident to conduct thorough hazard inspections and rectifications across key sectors—including hazardous chemicals, mining, industrial and trade operations, transportation, construction, and special equipment—to resolutely prevent and curb major and catastrophic accidents.
All members of the State Council accident investigation team, along with officials from relevant departments of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, as well as the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, attended the meeting.
According to photos from the scene, the vessel involved is the “Ocean Melody”, a 55,000-dwt bulk carrier measuring 189.99 meters in length and 32.26 meters in width. Built in 2006, the vessel is owned by Huili Shipping and flies the Liberian flag. AIS data indicates that the vessel departed Taicang for Qingdao on August 28, arrived at a berth at Beihai Shipbuilding at 18:00 on August 31, and entered the dry dock at approximately 16:10 on September 9.
Public records indicate that Beihai Shipbuilding was established in 1898 and operates as a directly managed second-tier subsidiary of CSSC. With shipbuilding as its core business, the company pursues the coordinated development of ship repair, offshore engineering, special vessels, and specialized equipment. It is committed to becoming a world-renowned marine and shipbuilding enterprise characterized by a strong portfolio of core vessel types, advanced construction and repair technologies, superior quality and efficiency, significant brand influence, and robust overall competitiveness.