Official announcements from the Port of Barcelona or local government reports

Fatal Explosion at Barcelona Port Due to Maintenance Work on Methyl Acetate Tank

Jan 21, 2025, 10:19 AM

A fatal explosion occurred at the Port of Barcelona at around 10:10 a.m., resulting in one person dead and another injured. The incident took place in a tank containing methyl acetate, a highly flammable but non-toxic substance, at the Energy Dock. The explosion was caused by maintenance work. Emergency services, including firefighters and the Catalan government's civil protection unit, responded promptly, extinguishing the fire within approximately 40 minutes. The Catalan government activated the Special External Emergency Plan for the Chemical Sector in Catalonia (Plaseqcat) in response to the explosion.