Aqaba About three years after the establishment of the Monitoring and Control Center at Aqaba's ports, following the chlorine gas tanker explosion that was one of the harshest industrial accidents in the city's history, a limited ammonia gas leak at the industrial complex yesterday once again put emergency plans and rapid response to a field test. Yet the difference between the two incidents was clear in the speed of hazard detection, activation of precautionary evacuation, control over the source of the leak, and prevention of its effects spreading further.
اضافة اعلان
According to Dr. Nidal Al-Awran, Commissioner of Public Safety at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, the leak occurred during maintenance of an old unit at the industrial complex, due to a prior buildup of ammonia gas, before civil defense teams, security agencies, and specialized technical bodies intervened and shut off the source of the leak within a short time. The port was evacuated as a precaution, and 11 cases of suffocation ranging from mild to moderate were recorded, with no serious injuries reported.
Al-Awran confirmed that the relevant teams dealt with the incident as soon as it occurred, and that the amount of gas leaked was limited, while the technical teams were able to control and shut off the source. He noted that the port's evacuation came as a precautionary measure to protect workers and prevent them from being exposed to any potential risks.
He explained that some of the injured received medical treatment at the complex's clinic, while others were transferred to the hospital to complete their care, confirming there were no serious injuries, and that specialized teams continued monitoring the site and verifying the stability of environmental conditions and public safety levels, in preparation for a return to normal operations.
For his part, Aqaba Governor Ayman Al-Awaisheh said the relevant teams immediately brought the leak under control, explaining that the crews working at the site moved quickly to shut off the main valve and stop the leak on the spot. He noted that, alongside the 11 people who sustained mild to moderate injuries in the incident, civil defense crews transferred 4 of them to hospitals for treatment, while the remaining cases were handled on-site at the complex's internal clinics.
Al-Awaisheh added that the relevant authorities carried out preventive evacuation procedures to safe points within the facility grounds according to the emergency plan, as a precaution against any developments, without a full evacuation of the area being recorded.
In the same context, Dr. Mahmoud Khleifat, General Manager of the Aqaba Ports Management and Operation Company, told "Al-Ghad" that the company activated its approved emergency plan as soon as the leak incident was detected, and carried out precautionary evacuation procedures for port crews within a record period of time, in order to protect worker safety and take preventive measures.
Khleifat added that the evacuation was carried out according to the plans set for handling emergency situations, and in coordination with relevant authorities, affirming that the safety of workers and those present at the port's facilities is a priority, as emergency teams began their procedures and followed the incident's developments on the ground, ensuring that work would not resume before confirming the causes of danger had been eliminated.
The speed of evacuation carries particular importance in a port and industrial environment, where the movement of workers, machinery, ships, and trucks intersects with facilities for storing and transporting oil, gas, fertilizers, and chemicals, since a few minutes can make a decisive difference between a limited incident and a widespread disaster, while the success of an evacuation depends on the clarity of exit routes, the speed at which alerts arrive, workers' knowledge of assembly points, and the ability of operations rooms to make decisions without delay.
Al-Awran had confirmed that air quality measurements and environmental indicators in the southern region remained within normal limits, and that specialized teams continued monitoring operations to verify the stability of the situation, explaining that the leak occurred at the industrial complex of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company, and that technical and security procedures were carried out according to approved safety plans.
The importance of these measurements is not limited to their environmental dimension, but also constitutes a key tool for operational decision making, since reopening the port or continuing its evacuation must be based on precise data regarding gas concentration, wind direction, and the extent of its spread, rather than on visual estimates or general impressions, reflecting a shift in incident management from traditional reaction to response built on monitoring and data.
From "Chlorine" to "Ammonia"
Three years ago, the discussion in Aqaba centered on whether establishing the Monitoring and Control Center after the chlorine incident (June 2022, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people and injuries to several workers) would be capable of strengthening the safety element and linking industrial, port, and logistics facilities under a unified authority. That incident revealed the need for a center able to see the full picture and unify communication between the ports, security institutions, civil defense, the Aqaba authority, and industrial companies. It also prompted a review of safety and maintenance procedures, and required facilities to correct deficiencies and rehabilitate installations that could pose a source of danger.
With the establishment of the Monitoring Center at the end of 2022, the goal came to extend beyond monitoring the movement of goods to building an operational and security umbrella that follows activity in the southern region, helps detect risks, speeds the passage of information, coordinates response, and reduces the time gap between the moment an incident is detected and the start of dealing with it.
Yesterday's incident shows that a number of these goals have found their way into implementation, as the report was followed by a field response, then precautionary evacuation, technical control over the source of the leak, first aid for the injured, air quality measurements, and follow up on the decision to return to work, interconnected steps reflecting the existence of a plan in which responsibilities are distributed among the relevant authorities.
However, judging the effectiveness of the system should not stop at the speed of control alone, since a successful response mitigates the results of an incident, while prevention stops it from occurring in the first place. From here, the more important question after the emergency situation ends must turn toward the root cause of the leak, why a prior buildup of ammonia remained inside the old unit, and whether isolation, ventilation, and inspection procedures were fully carried out before maintenance work began.
In an analytical reading that mirrors the assessment of industrial safety experts, the occurrence of limited injuries without deaths or serious cases, along with preventing the gas from spreading beyond its area, can be considered evidence of improved response, but it does not represent a final testament to the effectiveness of prevention, since true success is only complete when the results of the investigation translate into technical adjustments that prevent the same scenario from repeating.
Rapid Evacuation: A Decisive Standard
In this regard, crisis management expert Mohammad Al-Muhandis considered the decision to evacuate the port to be one of the clearest indicators of a shift in institutional culture toward risk, as some industrial work environments previously viewed evacuation as a costly measure that might disrupt operations, while it is now viewed as a direct investment in protecting lives, and as a legitimate preventive choice, even if the scope of the danger later turns out to have been limited.
He notes that evacuation in such cases is measured by the time the process took, the degree of discipline in movement, the absence of any stampede or confusion, and supervisors' ability to confirm that workers reached safe points, in addition to keeping roads open for civil defense vehicles, ambulances, and technical teams.
Al-Muhandis adds that the success of a precautionary evacuation within a record period means that workers were not receiving instructions for the first time during the incident, but rather that there had been prior training and known communication channels. However, maintaining this level of readiness requires periodic drills that include shifts, workers, and contractors, not just permanent employees alone.
He pointed out that this aspect carries added importance at ports, since multiple companies operate within a single space, and there may be workers affiliated with contractors, or drivers, visitors, and ship crews who do not have the same level of familiarity with emergency plans, making the unification of instructions, informational signage, and alarm systems an essential part of any effective response.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Ahmad Al-Rawashdeh
