return icon Vietnamnet.vn

VN's industrial zones in red alert over fire prevention

Although the damage wrought by the inferno at Formosa in Taiwan has not been assessed yet, it is sounding the alarms for all its facilities across the world, including Vietnam, which was also shaken by two heavy factory fires this month.

 

 

{keywords}

 

 

The accident occurred at an aromatics production factory run by Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp., a Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) subsidiary, in Taiwan earlier this month, with a large explosion followed by a dense plume of smoke rising into the sky.

No one was harmed in the explosion which was the result of a faulty or damaged pipe supplying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to the facility. Up to now, the fire damage has not been released, but the incident has been a wake-up call for the group’s facilities across the world.

In Vietnam, Formosa Group operates a $10.4 billion steel complex in the central province of Ha Tinh, while many subsidiaries of the Formosa family are operating in different production fields in Dong Nai, including Formosa Taffeta Dong Nai, Formosa Taffeta Vietnam (textile & dying), and Formosa Gear (mechanical components).

In this April, Vietnam witnessed two factory fires. The first fire broke out at Pan Pacific Logistics JSC in Song Than II Industrial Zone in the southern province of Binh Duong on April 11.

 

{keywords}

Firefighters tried to bring the fire at Pan Pacific Logistics JSC under control

 

 

Another fire on the very next day (April 12) destroyed a 1,000 square metre manufacturing area in Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem district, killing at least eight people.

All four facilities of the manufacturing area were totally destroyed by the fire. The victims were living in a plastic trash bin manufacturing facility at the time of the incident. The rescue team is currently searching for people reported missing, local authorities confirmed to the media.

Fires at manufacturing facilities have increased in both number and severity of damage, reported the Police Department of Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

Due to the huge stockpiles of flammable materials, goods, machines, and gadgets, industrial zones are always under threat of fire.

Data collected by the Department for Economic Zones Management under the Ministry of Investment and Planning indicates that Vietnam has had more than 300 industrial zones in operation or under construction, spanning a total area of 96,300ha.

The main hosts of those mega manufacturing facilities are the provinces of Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai. According to the MPS, in 2017 alone industrial zones accounted for 43 per cent of fire-related accidents in the country.

The Asia-Pacific region has been hit by several chemical plant explosions and fires this year. Below is a summary of the main plant accidents in the region since January 2019.

April 12, Malaysia: A fire and explosion occurred at Petronas’s Pengerang Integrated Complex. The site houses a 300,000-barrels-per-day refinery and a 1.2 million tonnes per year cracker which feeds multiple petrochemical units.

April 7, Taiwan: An explosion occurred at Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation’s (FCFC) aromatics production facility in Mailiao, Taiwan due to a leak at a damaged pipe supplying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to the facility.

March 21, China: A series of fatal explosions occurred at Tianjiayi Chemical’s production site at Yancheng in east China’s Jiangsu province, setting the factory on fire and leaving 78 people dead and over 500 injured.

March 16, India: A fire broke out at a complex owned by Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) due to a naphtha leak at 150,000-barrel-per-day crude distillation unit began start-up operations post maintenance.

February 28, Taiwan: Tasco Chemical Corp.’s 250,000 tonnes per year methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) unit in Linyuan, Taiwan caught fire and exploded.

February 12, South Korea: A fire broke out at Hanwha Total Petrochemical’s Daesan-based 280,000-tonnes-per-year ethylene vinyl acetate plant/low-density polyethylene swing plant.

January 4, China: A fire broke out at the solvent de-bitumen unit of Fujian Refining & Petrochemical (FREP) during maintenance, injuring 10 people. FREP runs a 280,000-barrel-per-day refinery, a 1.1-million-tonnes-per-year cracker, and various derivative plants at Quanzhou in Fujian province. VIR

MORE NEWS

Canadian traveler says she spent less than $100 a day in HCMC

A Canadian female traveler says she spent only VND1.6 million, or $67, on accommodation, entertainment, meals and travel for one day in HCM City.

Universities fail to attract students in some majors

Although few candidates enroll and the entrance score is very low, many training majors of many universities still fail to admit enough students while the actual demand for human resources in this field is in great shortage.

Japanese travelers love to visit Da Nang, experience Vietnamese culture

Yoshinori Yakabe, Japanese Consulate General in Da Nang, said Japanese travelers love to experience ecological tours and learn about culture when they come to Vietnam.

After 7 years of study, young doctors earn less than VND5 million a month

Citing low income as one of the reasons behind the brain drain from the public to the private sector, the Ministry of Health (MOH) believes this is causing problems in the health sector.

VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS MARCH 29/2023

Foreign investment from ASEAN important to Vietnam: HSBC

Defence Minister meets with RoK Prime Minister in Seoul

Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Han Duck-soo hosted a reception in Seoul on March 29 for Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang.

Ninth National External Information Service Awards launched

The ninth National External Information Service Awards was launched in Hanoi on March 29.

Vietnam draws over 2.69 million foreign tourists in Q1

Vietnam welcomed more than 2.69 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2023, 29.7 times higher than that of the same period last year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) has reported.

Doha Cup 2023: Vietnam's U23 football team return home with "empty hand"

Vietnam’s U23 team left Doha Cup 2023 with an "empty hand" after a close loss to their Kyrgyz rivals on March 29 (Vietnam time).

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 29/2023

Government issues details on aid for ethnic minority housing, land reclamation

GDP growth of 3.32% in Q1 nears lowest level in 13 years

Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.32% in the first quarter of the year, higher only than the growth rate of 3.21% recorded in the first quarter of 2020 in the 2011 to 2023 period, according to the General Statistics Office.

Four Japanese banks to provide US$300 million for Vietnamese renewable energy

Four Japanese banks are set to co-finance a total of US$300 million to provide credit lines to power producers using renewable energy in the nation as part of efforts to help the growing country in its decarbonising process.

15 short stories by Vietnamese writer published in RoK

A collection of 15 short stories written by local author Nguyen Huy Thiep were introduced to Korean readers by Wisdom Publishing House in March.

Hanoi’s ancient pagoda in the red-silk cotton tree season

In March, red-silk cotton trees bloom, showing off their beauty at the thousand-year-old Thay Pagoda in Quoc Oai district in Hanoi.

VN Government calls for broad-based measures to help realty sector

The Vietnamese Government has recently urged ministries to take measures to help the realty sector get back on track and sustain its healthy growth.
back_to_top