KARACHI: As a ship carrying soya bean moved to Port Qasim in Malir district from the Karachi Port Trust, a committee investigating the alleged toxic gas leak incident in Keamari on Saturday warned the district administration concerned to stay vigilant and take all necessary measures in case of any eventuality.

The fresh move came after the Sindh government’s chemical examination laboratory did not find any chemical or traces of gases in the blood or lungs of the victims, prompting the investigation committee to believe an earlier “soya bean dust (aeroallergens)” theory of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) of the University of Karachi.

The local administration had already ordered the removal of the ship, Hercules, carrying the soya bean cargo. It is now anchored at Port Qasim.

Commissioner says investigations into Keamari deaths still going on

“We will definitely share the conclusive report once we reach and finalise all findings,” Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani told Dawn. “But the bottom line is the situation turned normal as soon as activity on that soya bean ship halted and the ship left the port. There is no smell and no further incident reported. But we are still doing our job and will soon reach a conclusion.”

When asked about the status of the ship carrying soya bean despite its removal from one port to another, he said precautionary measures had already been ordered.

“The Karachi port we all know is close to some densely populated neighbourhoods,” the commissioner said. “We have issued messages and alerts to the district administration concerned [Malir] to be vigilant and take all necessary measures to meet any challenge. The situation, however, is under control right now.”

The KU report and authorities’ assessment that soya bean cargo was responsible for the multiple deaths have already sparked anger among importers and shippers who challenged their viewpoint, citing several certifications and history of their safe trade.

“The vessel contains merchantable soya bean of US origin, which is of highest quality and was shipped after the usual stringent quality tests by the US Department of Agriculture,” said a statement issued by the All Pakistan Solvent Extractors’ Association. “Upon arrival into Pakistan, the vessel was thoroughly inspected by the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) which found no quality issues. Therefore, the question of the cargo causing any toxicity to the environment does not arise.”

The shippers advise the authorities to investigate the true nature of the incident considering ground realities rather than getting involved in rumour-mongering or speculation.

“This cargo is used to make edible oil ie it is an agricultural commodity and does not have chemicals in it,” the Ship Agents Association & Stevedoring Conference said in a statement. “Plant Protection department visited the ship on 18th February, 2020 with gas detectors to check for any harmful or toxic gases. No gases were detected. We strongly recommend that this ship should not be shifted and cargo should be discharged at Karachi Port only. We confirm that we along with labour force of about 2,000 to 3,000 will stay at Karachi Port Trust berth during discharging operations.”

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2020