Accidental blast kills 2 in Hanjin's Philippine yard
18 Jan 2008 10:19:50 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds details, clarifies blast was caused by grinding machine) MANILA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - An accidental explosion at a Philippine shipyard run by South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries killed two workers and injured four others on Friday, officials said. Sparks from an electrical grinding machine ignited some used oil inside a container ship under construction causing a blast and a small fire. The shipyard is in Subic Bay, a former military base northwest of Manila. "It was not an acetylene tank explosion as earlier reported, but from sparks created by a grinding machine inside the ship's propeller shaft alley," Armand Arreza, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority administrator, told Reuters by phone. "The explosion in a highly contained area instantly killed two workers and four others were injured. The fire was put out by emergency workers." The ship was about 60 percent finished when the accident happened and Arreza said work at the affected dry-dock was suspended and would resume after the safety of the workers was guaranteed. He said a formal inquiry would be conducted to determine whether Hanjin or its sub-contractors had been at fault. "We're conducting a safety procedure audit at the shipyard to make sure the accident will not be repeated," Arreza said. Hanjin declined to comment on the incident. The South Korean group has a $1.68 billion shipyard project in Subic Bay and was planning to build a second shipyard costing $2 billion on the southern island of Mindanao. The Subic facility had orders for 28 container vessels, three bulk carriers and two oil tankers as of June last year. The Mindanao shipyard was due for completion in 2017, with a capacity of 830,000 tonnes per year. (Reporting by Manny Mogato, editing by Carmel Crimmins and Sanjeev Miglani)
Philippines Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza gestures during a Reuters interview in Quezon City Metro Manila January 17, 2008. The Philippines' drive to attract more tourists must be balanced ...
