Explosion at Mohammedia LPG storage site

A large explosion has taken place at an LPG storage facility in Mohammedia, Morocco, with unverified social media footage showing a large fireball rising into the sky at an as-yet unknown location at the port, around 25km north of Casablanca.

The incident, which happened late on 22 December at the nation's key LPG port, has been confirmed by state-owned news agency MAP. It said there were no casualties.

Further unverified social media footage, reportedly from firefighters at the site, show tanks bearing the logo of large local importer Afriquia Gaz, part of the Casablanca-headquartered Akwa Group conglomerate. Afriquia Gaz has mutualised access to three LPG storage terminals in the vicinity of Mohammedia port, according to its World LPG Association (WLGPA) profile. These are Maghreb, which has 1,000t propane and 2,000t butane capacity according to Argus data, Stogaz with 2,000t propane capacity according to market sources and the large underground storage at Somas that Argus data put at around 200,000t butane capacity.

Afriquia Gaz was not immediately available to comment.

Mohammedia is Morocco's primary port for butane and propane imports that feed the country's extensive domestic heating and cooking sector. The port received around 48pc of the 1.45mn t delivered so so far in 2022, according to Vortexa. Of that, 1.43mn t arrived on very large gas carriers (VLGCs), the majority from the US Gulf coast.

By Peter Wilton