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Lessons from the 1947 Texas City port disaster

Devastating explosion leads to new safety regulations regarding flammable shipments

Brielle Jaekel
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FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Old Dominion Freight Line — Helping the World Keep Promises. Learn more here.

In 1947, tragedy struck the port in Texas City, Texas, where a French ship carrying highly flammable fertilizer caught fire. An explosion followed, devastating the port town and surrounding area. 

The cause of the disaster would change shipping regulations forever. 

Join Deputy Editor Brielle Jaekel and fellow FreightWavesTV host Mary O’Connell on this week’s episode of Tracks Through Time as they discuss the circumstances that led to the explosion and how learning from the incident reformed safety regulations in shipping, hazardous materials transportation and emergency response protocol forever.


FreightWaves Classics articles look at various aspects of the transportation industry’s history. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter!

Have a topic you want me to cover? Email me at bjaekel@freightwaves.com or follow me on Twitter.

Brielle Jaekel

Brielle is the deputy editor of Freight Waves and has a more-than-10-year history in B2B publishing, tackling cutting edge stories in business, with four years specifically focused on freight. She’s interviewed numerous CEOs and is adept at finding stories that matter to the industry. She believes in finding a new way forward in the supply chain to solve problems, drive sustainability and put people first. If you’d like to get in touch with Brielle, please email her at bjaekel@freightwaves.com.