September 2, 2015
We do not yet know the final tally in lives and destroyed property from the massive explosion of volatile chemicals in a port warehouse in Tianjin, China [“Cleanup underway after port explosions ,” The World, Aug. 17]. This accident highlights the fact that ports in the United States and around the world move and store many potentially dangerous products.
Two of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history were port accidents — inHalifax, Nova Scotia, in 1917 and Texas City, Tex., in 1947. The first resulted from the collision of a French munitions ship and a freighter. The explosion equaled 2.9 kilotons of TNT and killed about 2,000 people. The second occurred while fertilizer was being loaded on a freighter. That explosion equaled an estimated 2.7 kilotons of TNT and killed 581 people.
Like Tianjin, many ports are in or near large urban and residential areas. These accidents underscore the need for continued vigilance on and commitment to port safety.
Erik O. Autor, Falls Church