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Rotterdam blast kills one
An explosion at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Thursday killed at least one person and injured several others, with Rotterdam police saying the cause remained unclear and under investigation.
“killed one person and wounded six others”
Reuters reported the blast at a storage facility for petroleum products at the Netherlands' Rotterdam port killed one person and wounded six others, and said police were investigating the cause of the explosion.
The blast occurred at around 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT), and Reuters said a spokesperson for Gunvor Energy described an “incident” during maintenance work on one of its storage tanks.
Rotterdam emergency services reported a major power failure at the port and said that a transformer had caught fire under unexplained circumstances, while the Port of Rotterdam Authority said the power outage in the Botlek area and the incident at Gunvor Energy appear to be unrelated.
Maintenance, no sabotage
Gunvor Energy said the blast happened during maintenance activity, with Reuters quoting a spokesperson for the company saying an "incident" occurred during maintenance work on one of its storage tanks.
A Rotterdam police spokesperson told Reuters there was "no immediate sign of sabotage" and that all possible scenarios were under investigation.
The Independent said Rotterdam police posted on X that "An explosion occurred on the Moezelweg (road) around 11:30am (0930 GMT)" and that the crime scene had been cordoned off.
The Edge Malaysia reported that a police spokesperson said there was no immediate sign of sabotage and that all possible scenarios were under investigation, while adding that the cause was unknown.
Port operations and LNG
Reuters said Shell told it its operations at the port were unaffected by the blast, and that a Rotterdam Port spokesperson said LNG terminals were not affected.
“LNG terminals were not affected by the blast”
The Edge Malaysia similarly reported that a Rotterdam Port spokesperson said LNG terminals were not affected, while noting that Exxon Mobi shut all units at its 191,000 barrels/day Rotterdam refinery due to a power outage.
Reuters also said data from ENTSOG showed a temporary drop in gas sendout from Rotterdam's Gate LNG terminal and then volatile flows, and that it was not clear if that was a consequence of the blast or an unrelated power outage elsewhere in the sprawling port.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority said that “based on the information currently available, the power outage in the Botlek area and the incident at Gunvor Energy appear to be unrelated,” as several companies halted their operations and evacuated workers.