Some 22 workers at Jordan’s Aqaba Company for Port Operation were hospitalized briefly with respiratory difficulties after inhaling dust particles in a recent incident at the port, according to a Sept. 12 report in Petra, the country’s state news agency.
Initial suspicions that ammonia gas was the cause were ruled out, according to Petra, citing the Director of the Environment Directorate in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).
The incident occurred in the southern industrial area of the port, primarily among ship workers, and was attributed to dust particles carried by extreme weather conditions and strong winds from Storm Daniel.
According to the ASEZA statement, operations in the industrial facilities at the port were temporarily suspended until weather conditions improve. Jordan Phosphate Mines Co. (JPMC) and Arab Potash Co. (APC) are the main users of the bulk handling facilities at Aqaba port.