London – ImpACT International for Human Rights Policies called on the Jordanian authorities to open a thorough investigation into the serious gas leak incident caused by the fall and explosion of a container loaded with a highly toxic substance.

The leakage and explosion of the tank being transported in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, southern Jordan, and the country’s sole seaport, on Monday, June 27^th, 2022, caused the deaths of 13 people, including nine Jordanian workers and four foreign crew members from China and Vietnam. 260 others were also injured.

The London-based think tank stressed the need to take strict measures to hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable to the law. There is evidence of mismanagement, negligence, and a severe failure to ensure the safety of workers. Authorities should announce urgent measures to bring those responsible to justice.

The occurrence of such an incident in Jordan's sole seaport, where prevention mechanisms should be considered common sense, is surprising and indicates a failure to prioritize safety standards when dealing with hazardous materials

According to the testimonies collected by ImpACT, the leak resulted from the fall and explosion of a tank loaded with highly toxic chlorine gas while it was being loaded by crane onto a ship. The shipment was destined for export.

The director of the Aqaba Company for Ports Operations and Management, Khaled Al-Maaytah, stated that the handling cables of container No. 6, which carried 20 tons of chlorine gas, snapped as it was brought aboard the ship.

ImpACT reviewed statements by the head of the Union Committee of Workers in the Aqaba Ports Operations and Management Company, Ahmed Saud Al-Amayreh, in which he stated that the committee had previously informed Aqaba authorities, and the management of the operating company, about the risks dockers face.

Al-Amayreh said that they had repeatedly spoken with decision-makers about concerns regarding the old tools in the port, “but the response was rejection.” He added that the equipment used in the port is old and worn out which caused a worker to fall off last year. Moreover, the new port site lacks public safety apparatus, warning instructions, and has insufficient cargo handling apparatus.

Port employees and workers demonstrated in front of the governorate headquarters in Aqaba city on Wednesday 29^th June 2022. They protested against the facility lacking the means to keep employees, seafarers, and the public safe. These omissions resulted in the gas tank explosion and numerous deaths and injuries.

The Union Committee of Workers in the Aqaba Ports Operations and Management Company announced an open-ended strike in all port sites and departments on Wednesday, to protest the lack of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).

For his part, Chairman of the Lower House Tourism, Antiquities and Public Services Committee, Majid Rawashdeh, stressed that the government and the port administration bear full responsibility for the serious incident as they ignored all the previous demands that emphasised the importance of upgrading the work systems at the port.

Rawashdeh stated that toxic substances must be transported in special containers and amid strict safety measures. The port should have special cranes with four hooks, however, the pictures and videos showed that the loading process was carried out by an old and invalid cable, and done without the oversight of safety officers.

ImpACT asserts the seriousness of the incident in the Aqaba port and its management’s great failure to ensure the workers’ safety and we especially condemn the abhorrent absence of safe measures while shipping chemicals. This situation demands that deterrent measures are taken by holding those responsible to account.

ImpACT stresses that the occurrence of such an incident in Jordan's sole seaport, where prevention mechanisms should be considered common sense, is surprising and indicates a failure to prioritize safety standards when dealing with hazardous materials.