SINGAPORE: China is carrying out strict safety inspections of liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers, logistics firms and refuelling stations, after the deadly blast at Tianjin on 12 Aug, market sources said on Thursday.
The state council issued an emergent notice on 14 Aug following the blast, calling for special safety inspections of dangerous chemicals, easy flammables and explosive products. It said that the entire chain, from production and operation, to storage and transportation, must ensure that zero wrongdoings or violations of regulations take place.
Some LNG producers in Gansu province and northeast China have halted production or delayed unit restarts, while others in Shaanxi province have postponed the start-up of new units, some producers said.
However, operational LNG plants were not affected, they added.
As for LNG delivery, the impact was subtle because most trucks had undergone complete approval procedures and overloading was avoided at the plants, a senior participant in the LNG logistics market said.
However, LNG inflows from Tangshan and Qian’an of Hebei province were impeded as vehicles carrying hazardous chemicals were prohibited to run on expressways in the Tanggu district of Tianjin, the sources said.
© ICIS News