Overview
- A blaze broke out at about 11:15 a.m. on Thursday aboard a vessel undergoing repairs at the state‑owned Qingdao Beihai shipyard and firefighters extinguished open flames by about 2:30 p.m.
- State media say 42 people were aboard the Liberia‑flagged bulk carrier Ocean Melody, with 25 later found dead, 12 evacuated and several taken to hospital with injuries.
- The Ministry of Emergency Management and Shandong provincial teams have been dispatched to lead on‑site rescue operations and to begin an official investigation into the cause of the fire.
- Maritime tracking data identify the Ocean Melody as a roughly 20‑year‑old dry bulk carrier that arrived at the yard on August 31 and was in dock for maintenance at the time of the incident.
- The government response highlights a renewed focus on industrial safety because of recent deadly workplace accidents and officials have ordered rectifications and nationwide inspections that could affect shipyard operations and oversight.