Zhang Xiaoyi

    417880236@qq.com

    IT has been confirmed that a Sinopec petroleum depot in Dong-jiaotou, Shekou, will stop storing and selling hazardous chemical before the end of the month, marking the beginning of a timetable of the depot’s relocation.

    It is prompted by a deadly blast in Tianjin last week and requests from Municipal People’s Congress (MPC) deputies dating back more than 10 years, local newspapers reported.

    It is not yet known where the depot will be relocated.

    The depot is more than 30 years old, situated at the intersection of Houhai Boulevard and Shekou New Street. It is like “a time bomb,” one nearby resident said in a report.

    Chinese-language media reports did not specify the kinds of hazardous chemicals and calls to the city government went unanswered yesterday as it was not a workday.

    The oil depot is surrounded by residential and commercial estates in the Dongjiaotou neighborhood. “The nearest residential building is only over 200 meters away,” Li Jizhao, a MPC deputy said in the report. He had handed in relocation proposals during the annual MPC meetings in 2007 and 2013.

    According to Li, there are at least seven residential estates near the Sinopec oil depot, where more than 10,000 people live. Close to the depot are also other public facilities like hospitals, schools and a Metro station.

    A large gas storage zone owned by Shenyan Gas Co. Ltd. is also located next to the site.

    The reason for the move is to avoid potential danger to nearby residents, said Shenzhen Party Chief Ma Xingrui.

    The decision was made Friday, when a government delegation headed by Ma visited the petroleum depot and the neighboring gas storage zone owned by Shenyan Gas Co. Ltd. During the tour, the relocation timetable was decided.

    The move is partly prompted by the catastrophic chemical blast in Tianjin on Aug. 12, which destroyed nearby housing, with a death toll still rising. It is also the result of MPC deputies’ long-term efforts.

    The delegates also toured the Air Products and Chemicals Inc. business near the Shekou Ferry Terminal. The tour focused on safety management, operation of the site and storage safety.

    (Letter on P6)