BEIJING: China, Japan, and South Korea are expanding an initiative aimed at sharing information, particularly warnings of danger, following the deadly explosions that rocked Tianjin port last month.
The ports of Ulsan and Pyeongtaek, in South Korea; Shaoxing and Jiaxing, in China; and Yokkaichi and Niigata, in Japan; will join the Northeast Asia Logistics Information Service Network, bringing its membership to 19. The proximity of Pyeongtaek, Ulsan and Yokkaichi ports to refineries make the major gateways for for oil and chemical cargo.
“Through this network, China, Japan, and South Korea can better manage and store dangerous cargoes, thus improving the competitiveness of our logistics industries,” said Park Byung-chul, director for marine logistics at South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
South Korea’s Busan, Incheon, and Gwangyang, China’s Ningbo, Weihai, Wenzhou, Yantai, and Zhoushan, and Japan’s Kawasaki, Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama, were the original 13 ports in the network.
Following the Aug. 12 explosions at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin, killing more than 100 people, container throughput at the 10th busiest box port plunged 28 percent year-over-year in August. Local authorities said clean-up is nearly complete and the port is operating normally.
