Dalian Port Co. said on Jul 25 it resumed operations at two of its oil berths with a combined berthing capacity of 230,000 deadweight tonnes, and will reopen a 300,000 dwt berth in the "near future," after it was required to cease the berths' operation following an oil pipeline explosion July 16.

Investigations by China's State Administration of Work Safety and Ministry of Public Security indicate the explosion occurred as workers from a third-party service provider continued to inject strongly oxidizing desulfurizer into a pipeline after a 300,000 dwt tanker had finished unloading its oil, the company said in a statement.

The explosion in the pipeline triggered a fire in a crude oil storage depot belonging to Dalian PetroChina International Warehousing & Transportation Co., a joint venture between PetroChina Co. and Dalian Port.

The blast severely damaged another tank, pumping stations, and nearby pipelines, causing a large amount of crude oil to leak, the State Administration of Work Safety and Ministry of Public Security said earlier.