Date: May 14, 2018
Location: Aqaba Port, Jordan
Address: Unknown
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Grain Dust
Industry: Agricultural
Equipment: Cutting During Silo Demolition
Company: Unknown
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: Seven Killed, Two Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
There is uncertainty about the company involved. The name “Abu Ghraib Trading Co.” was given only in the Roya News reports of the incident, and searches for this name yielded no further information. An article in Ammon News (translated via. Google Translate) described the business as “the Abu Ghraib Commercial Establishment”.
An article published in July of 2017 in The Jordan Times said that a project to expand the Aqaba grain silos was being overseen by the state-run Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), and the work was to be carried out by Haif Company and Mid Contracting Co. MID, but it could not be confirmed that either of these companies had any involvement in the incident.
Description of Grain Silo Explosion and Fire
On May 29, 2018 Roya News reported that the death toll from a silo explosion and fire in Aqaba, which occurred on May 14, had reached seven. In total, nine workers were injured during the explosion; five died within the first week and the remaining victims were transported to Amman’s King Hussein Medical Center in critical condition. The sixth death was reported by Ammon News on May 21.
According to several reports, the explosion and fire were caused by demolition workers cutting iron in the presence of an oxygen cylinder. The Ammon News article said that technical reports had been submitted to the prosecutor which indicated that the explosion and subsequent fire were caused by “a spark arising from the iron-cutting process.”
A piece published by Akeed on May 21 said the incident had been “initially attributed to the explosion of an oxygen cylinder during demolition work near the grain silos at the old port of Aqaba.”
It appears that the old silos were being emptied and dismantled when the explosion happened. The nature of the fuel isn’t completely clear, but old grain dust in the disused silos appeared to be the most likely culprit.
In an earlier article published on 14 May 2018, Roya News said that the fire was extinguished on the same day it broke out.
The old Aqaba port is scheduled to be handed over to an investment company implementing the Marsa Zayed project in September. According to Wikipedia, Marsa Zayed is a $10 billion redevelopment project named after the Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The first phase of this project is almost complete at the time of writing; the second phase is on hold until complete relocation of the Port of Aqaba has taken place.
Sources:
Roya News (death toll reaches 7)
Ammon News (6th death)
Akeed
Roya News (first report of incident)
Wikipedia (Marsa Zayed project)
The Jordan Times
