Zh-Zhong-Xing Vessel Reviews and Specifications

On February 27, 2017, a fire broke out on a conveyor belt used for loading wood pellets at the Jobst Oldendorff near the Port Arthur Refinery, located west of the city. The conveyor belt was in the midst of transferring approximately 10,000 tons of wood pellets into a silo when the blaze ignited. Emergency crews from the Port Arthur Fire Department responded promptly to the incident, arriving on the scene at approximately 3 p.m. They were joined by police personnel from the Port Arthur Police Department, and together they successfully extinguished the fire after roughly 1.5 hours. Firefighters from the City of Beaumont also lent their support in putting out the flames. In a precautionary measure, port officials evacuated personnel operating in the vicinity to mitigate the risk of any potential explosion, and longshoremen halted loading activities in the area. Fortunately, the fire was contained and did not spread to any warehouses nearby. The ship's crew implemented safety protocols with a supervisor assigned to fire watch duties overnight, ensuring the conveyor belt would not reignite. Continuous monitoring was conducted by fire watchers from both the Port of Port Arthur and the fire department to keep an eye on the situation. Initial investigations suggest that an electrical issue may have sparked the blaze, igniting the wood pellets on the conveyor belt. At the time of the incident, the silo was three-quarters full and was one of five designated for unloading a total of 50,000 tons of wood pellets from the vessel. Given the distance of about 600 feet from the fuel source, the risk of a catastrophic explosion was significantly reduced. The fire's impact generated significant black smoke due to the burning rubber belt material; however, it was determined that the incident would not affect the port’s operations. For more details, check out the reports with photos and video: [KVUE](http://www.kvue.com/news/local/port-arthur-beaumont-fire-departments-fighting-ship-fire-at-port-of-port-arthur/415725229), [KFDW](http://kfdm.com/news/local/fire-reported-at-port-of-port-arthur), [Beaumont Enterprise](http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Video-10-000-tons-of-wood-pallets-cause-Port-10964102.php), [Fox4Beaumont](http://fox4beaumont.com/news/local/wood-pellet-fire-out-on-conveyor-belt-at-port-of-pa-no-injuries).