Nearly 26,000 Vehicles Damaged, the Aftermath of 8•12 Tianjin Blast Lasts

Gasgoo.com(Shanghai Oct.19)- “According to incomplete statistics, the number of damaged or ruined cars resulted from 8·12 Tianjin blast exceeds 22,000 with different automobile enterprises on varying degrees,” revealed by Wang Cun, Deputy Director of Imported Vehicles Commission,CADA, after two months since the blast happened.

However, with the statistics going further, the number of damaged imported vehicles experiences a rise. French automobile manufacturer Renault claimed on Oct.14th that there had been a total of 5,S118 vehicles damaged in that blast, far more than the estimated 1,500 before. It is safely to say that there are nearly 26,000 vehicles damaged in Tianjin blast.

How much will the 26,000 vehicles influence the imported vehicle market? According to the data based on the first half year, it equals to 6-day sales volume of all imported cars. And until now, two months after the disaster, the Tianjin port can basically function well when it comes to imported vehicles. “ The most affected period for Tianjin port is from Aug.14th to 25th, and the recovery kicks in at the end of that month. I must say, the recovery speed is impressive and beyond our exception.”

Nevertheless, “the import volume of Tianjin port in September indicates that the blast still haunts around,” Wang Cun told the China times on Oct.14th.

According to Wang Cun, the damaged warehouse and storeroom is one of the most critical elements that get in the way of Tianjin port’s recovery. Sources confirm that, the damaged warehouse and storeroom cannot be rebuilt until the insurance claim is completed.

After the blast, many automobile manufacturers chose other ports, which resulted in a two-month consecutive decline of average daily import volumes. Data shows that the average daily imported vehicles of Tianjin port in July was 1,740, while the number of August was 1,010. Yet, it rebounded to 1,302 for the last 4 days of August.

Wang Cun predicted on Oct.9th that “based on the benign recovery in second half of August, the aftermath of Tianjin blast would be cleared in September.”

However, the latest data proved Mr. Wang wrong; that is, the impact of Tianjin blast on its port circulation is far from cleared. Tianjin port only makes up nearly 15% of the total port-imported vehicles in September, while the number of August is 27.9%.