25 People Killed in Cargo Ship Fire Near Qingdao Port

Thu Sep 10 2026 22:10:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A 190‑meter Liberia‑flagged cargo vessel caught fire while under maintenance in Qingdao, China, killing 25 crew members and leaving several injured.

A massive blaze broke out on the Ocean Melody, a 190‑meter cargo ship docked at Qingdao’s busy port, killing 25 of the 42 crew aboard. The vessel was undergoing maintenance when the fire erupted at 11:15 local time, and was extinguished just over three hours later. Seventeen crew were rescued, with five hospitalized in stable condition. Chinese officials urged an immediate search and rescue response and stressed preventing secondary disasters, while the cause of the fire remains unclear.

At 11:15 local time a large cargo vessel, the Ocean Melody, caught fire while being serviced at a Qingdao shipyard. The ship had arrived on 31 August and was undergoing routine maintenance.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reports the blaze caused the death of 25 crew members out of the 42 aboard. In addition, 17 crew were rescued and five were taken to hospital in stable condition.

The fire was extinguished after a little over three hours, around 14:15 local, but the blaze caused extensive damage to the superstructure and cargo holds.

The Ocean Melody is a 190‑meter, 623‑foot long carrier registered under the Liberian flag. Its recent arrival at Qingdao and the subsequent incident have raised concerns about safety protocols at busy Chinese ports.

Officials, including Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping, called for an "all‑out" rescue effort and urged precautionary measures to prevent secondary disasters. The shipyard incident follows a recent explosion in Fujian that killed a rescue worker and injured others.