Port operations return to normal after Tianjin blasts

Tianjin port. [File photo/Xinhua]

TIANJIN - Operations at the Tianjin port in north China have returned to normal following warehouse blasts on Aug 12 that left more than 200 dead or missing, the port authority said Monday.

Port operations and ship traffic were partially suspended following the huge explosions at a warehouse for hazardous chemicals, said an official with the Tianjin Port Group Co.

Its main shipping lanes resumed traffic the morning after the late-night blasts, while operations at the berth and warehouse areas returned to normal, with the exception of areas close to the blasts site.

At least 112 people were killed and 95 others remained missing after the blasts. The government is continuing search and rescue and cleaning hundreds of tons of toxic cyanide at the site while closely monitoring the environment.

The explosions stoked concerns about dragging down the booming growth of the Tianjin Binhai New Area, a key industrial park that made the northern city one of China's fastest growing areas.

The Tianjin port is also a gateway to northeast China, transferring roughly 40 percent of imported cars. Shipments of iron ore to the port were reportedly disrupted after the blasts.