In order to keep production from being disrupted, Toyota said it will divert shipments away from the Chinese port of Tianjin, which was badly damaged in the Aug. 12 chemical explosion that killed more than 100 people. Instead, cargo will be sent to the Shanghai and Dalian ports, according to Reuters.
An unidentified official said the port of Tianjin would be unusable for a long time, although he did not supply specifics. The Tianjin port accounts for 40 percent of China’s auto imports.
The mayor of Tianjin, Huang Xingguo, told ChinaDaily he pledged to have the chemical storage plants in the port area relocated to the Nangang industrial zone, 15 miles away. Companies storing toxic chemicals in the area are undergoing strict inspections and will be closed down if irregularities are found. Other Chinese ports have restricted movement of hazardous chemical cargo at their facilities, which is disrupting global supply chains, according to JOC.com. The ports of Qingdao, Lianyungang, Ningbo and Xiamen have all tightened regulations or forbid dangerous cargo at their facilities.
So far 114 are confirmed dead, and 64 are missing as a result of the explosion, the cause of which is still unknown. More than 170 companies have been affected and 3,000 new cars that had been delivered to the port were destroyed.