Mid-China port Zhangjiagang has imposed restrictions on dangerous chemicals at certain docks since Tuesday. Chemicals classified as “dangerous” will not be allowed to be imported and exported out of certain docks at the port until further notice.The main cause of these restrictions is attributed to part of the government’s efforts in stepping up and ensuring safety after the recent deadly explosions at chemical plants in Jiangsu province.“Right now several ports, including Zhangjiagang have extremely high inventory of key aromatics, so several charterers are extremely anxious about this,” a regional shipping analyst said.Petrochemicals that are qualified as “dangerous” include flammable liquids such as acetone, ethanol, benzene and methanol. Inventories are high for a range of petrochemicals, including ethylene glycol (EG), styrene, benzene, acetone, toluene, xylenes, methanol, acetic acid, polyolefins and more.
