Incident report

A summary of the recent explosions, fires and leaks in the tank storage industry

14 December 2021

HAVERHILL, US Broco Energy

A fire at Broco Energy’s fuel terminal in Haverhill, Massachusetts was found to have been an accident. Eyewitnesses heard an explosion shortly before 12 noon local time. Fire crews took several hours to extinguish the blaze. There were no injuries. Investigators found that the operator filling a Broco Oil tanker was unable to turn off the oil flow, which spilled over onto the hot surface of the tanker’s exhaust and regeneration system, igniting. The blaze, which destroyed the tanker, spread to other vehicles. The cost of the damage has been estimated at US$500,000 (€442,000). 13 November 2021

CILICAP, INDONESIA Pertamina

A large fire broke out at 7.20pm local time and destroyed a gasoline tank at Pertamina’s 270,000 bpd Cilicap refinery. It is the second at the refinery in 2021. The fire was eventually extinguished at 7.45am on 14 November 2021. No casualties were reported, although 80 local residents were evacuated from nearby Lomanis Village as a precaution. Pertamina says that it does not know the cause of the fire, but local media reports say that the tank was struck by lightning during a storm at the time. Investigations are ongoing. 25 October 2021

ZAWIYA, LIBYA National Oil Corporation (NOC)

Eight petroleum and crude oil storage tanks in the oil movements area and five storage tanks for base oils and chemical additives in a mineral oil mixing and filling plant were damaged during ‘skirmishes by armed groups’. An electrical transformer which is the source of power for the main station for the oil mixing and filling factory was also damaged, as were the ceilings of the halls of the manufacturing lines in the oil mixing and filling factory. Who the combatants were is unclear. Libya was in a state of civil war until October 2020, when the warring factions signed a permanent ceasefire, but unrest is still common.