Safety measures need to be enhanced at Iran’s key commercial port
By Abdolkarim Hashemi Nakhl-Ebrahimi
Iranian MP representing Hormozgan Province
The precise cause of the explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, has yet to be pinned down, and it seems likely that negligence played a part in the deadly incident. However, what is crystal clear-and what has been caught on camera-is that a minor fire, triggered by the explosion of flammable materials, broke out and quickly spread to a nearby fuel tank, which then set off the main blast. This fuel tank was a single unit with no adjacent tanks, but the blast, which was felt like an earthquake in surrounding areas, ripped through machinery, equipment, and imported and exported goods stored nearby, making it tough to put out the fire.
As reported in the media, the human and financial toll from the main explosion has been substantial, though it is still too early to put a figure on the full extent of the damage. Shahid Rajaee Port is Iran’s largest commercial port and serves as the beating heart of the nation’s trade. Between 80% and 90% of southern transit operations go through this port, which also handles more than 70% of the country’s container traffic and over half of all imports and exports.
Despite the recent incident, operations at Shahid Rajaee Port have carried on, as the export and import docks are set apart from the site of the accident. Thanks to the quick on-the-ground efforts of local and national authorities, the port has bounced back to full operation in no time, ensuring uninterrupted trade and transit.
From the early hours after the incident, a host of provincial and national organizations—including the Basij volunteer force, naval units of both the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and the Army, the Red Crescent, city fire departments, the port’s own emergency teams, and rescue squads from neighboring provinces—rushed in to help bring the fire under control and assist the injured. The medical university, provincial security council, and governor were on the ground from the outset, and both the minister of interior and the minister of roads made their way to the scene without delay. Special thanks are also due to President Masoud Pezeshkian, who showed up in the province, visited the patients at their bedsides, boosted the morale of both medical staff and victims, and issued orders to speed up relief efforts, get to the bottom of the incident, and make up for the losses.
Now that the fire has been put out and the situation brought under control, reconstruction efforts must get underway without delay, and the root cause of the accident must be tracked down to prevent such disasters from happening again.
Given Shahid Rajaee Port’s critical role in national trade and transit, it is crucial for the authorities to step up efforts to equip the port with state-of-the-art firefighting and rescue facilities. The layout of machinery and adherence to passive defense principles at the port must also be reviewed so that, should a similar incident crop up, the risk of further casualties and damage can be kept in check.
Unfortunately, the current emergency response capabilities at the site are outdated, making it urgent to address these shortcomings without delay. In the aftermath of this accident, all safety, security, technical, and port authorities—especially the Ports and Maritime Organization, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the Interior Ministry, and security forces—must look into every aspect of the incident thoroughly, and those found to have fallen short or been involved in the accident should be brought to justice.