The top executive of Tianjin Port Group said on Wednesday that the port is running stably and steadily after the catastrophic blasts on Aug. 12, at the 9th press conference regarding the Tianjin explosions.

Zheng Qingyue, president of Tianjin Port Group, said the operation and production of the whole port have been stable and in order during the period from Aug. 13 to 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. "More than 490 cargo ships and passenger liners came and went, and more than 12,500 people entered or exited the port," he said.

It is the first time that a representative of Tianjin Port Group, the operator and landowner of the port, has appeared at the press conferences, which were supposed to brief the public the latest updates of the horrible accident, as many people have demanded to know where the port executives are when they should be taking responsibility and clarifying people’s doubts over the past few days.

Zheng explained all the executives and employees have been busy handling the aftermath of the explosions, helping the wounded and comforting the families of victims, so they missed the previous eight press conferences.

"We have contributed more than 20 million yuan and many vehicles and materials so far to deal with the accident, repair equipment and reduce the subsequent damage," he said, "We also ordered our port hospital to open an express channel, and organized more than 600 medical workers to rescue and help the victims and patients due to the explosions. A total of 113 individuals are now being treated in our port hospital."

The executive also pointed out that the public and media may get the Port of Tianjin area and Tianjin Port Group mixed up. "We are just a state-owned enterprise, the Rui Hai International Logistics Company, which is responsible for the explosions, is another enterprise located in the area. So we don't have the right to check another company’s storage and cargo, even if there are dangerous substances."

Tianjin Port Group is the holding company and ultimate controlling party for most of the Tianjin Port operating units, and its affiliates and subordinate units run most aspects of port operations. It used to operate as the Tianjin Port Authority, but was transformed from a government organ into an enterprise group in 2004. Zheng said the Tianjin Port Group does not have the same administrative functions the old Tianjin Port Authority had.

But he promised after the findings were issued by the State Council's investigation team that if there are any problems on Tianjin Port Group’s side, they would take responsibility and accept punishment, regardless of whether individuals or the company is responsible.

Before he answered the questions from the press, he expressed his sadness and condolences on behalf of all the staff of the Tianjin Port Group. "We lost many good colleagues, comrades and brothers. They are our family, we miss them forever."

Cao Xiaohong, deputy mayor of Tianjin, gave the latest updates on the press conference. "As of 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 19, the death count is 114; 101 people have been identified, 19 are firefighters from the police department, 34 are from the Tianjin Port fire department, and seven are policemen, as well as 41 other individuals. There are 13 people who are still unidentified. Sixty five people are out of contact, including five police firemen, 44 Tianjin Port firemen, four policemen, and 12 others; 674 people have been hospitalized, 19 are in critical condition, 37 are in severe conditions and 108 have been discharged from hospital."

Bao Jingling, chief engineer of Tianjin's Bureau of Environmental Protection, said the bureau is monitoring air and water 24 hours a day. He said they haven’t found anything unusual in the air but they have detected cyanide in 25 locations inside the alert areas, 8 of which exceed standards. They have not allowed contaminated waste water to be discharged into the sea.

He also denied the rainfall on Tuesday caused any health issues. "No cyanide has been detected," he said, adding that some white foam was seen after the rain, but they sampled the foam and tested it in a lab, and there was no problem and nothing unusual. "I even stood in the rain for several minutes but I felt nothing out of the ordinary," he said.

As for the media reports that the military have detected nerve gas at the center of the explosions, Bao said he knew nothing about the allegations and will contact the Chinese military to get more information.

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