Blast hits Türkiye’s Kocaeli port
Three port workers in critical condition, according to government officials
An explosion occurred in a grain silo at Türkiye’s Kocaeli port, injuring 12 workers, while there was no immediate impact to port operations
AN explosion at Türkiye’s Kocaeli port injured 12 workers on August 7, with 13 grain silos being affected from the blast. The Turkish Transport Ministry said port operations continued after the necessary precautions were taken.
The blast occurred in a grain silo of the Turkish Grain Board at Safi Derince International Port, located in the Sea of Marmara.
Three workers were in a critical condition, while initial findings pointed to a “dust explosion” occurring in a grain silo because of an ongoing heatwave, according to the Governorate of Kocaeli.
The Turkish coastguard was directed to the port although there was no reported impact on any vessels in the vicinity, the ministry said.
Kocaeli was the biggest Turkish port in 2022 with a cargo throughput of nearly 83m tonnes, according to data from the ministry. The port is a hub for commodity trading and storage because one of the country’s largest oil refineries is in Kocaeli.
The state-owned Grain Board said there was up to 50,000 tonnes of grain at its storage units in Safi Derince International Port.
The terminal is owned by local conglomerate Safi Holding.
