Conoco Phillips fined for oil spill
Conoco Phillips and the operator of a Plymouth fuel-distribution depot have been ordered to pay more than £44,400 in fines and costs after nearly 80,000l of petrol leaked from a terminal and polluted groundwater. The case against them was brought by the Environment Agency.
On July 17, 2007, the site’s operator SGS (UK) reported that unleaded petrol was leaking from a storage tank at the Mayflower Terminal beside the Plym estuary. Tests revealed the fuel had leaked outside the terminal and contaminated adjoining premises. Nearby ground was ‘saturated’ and smelt strongly of petrol.
The incident was classed as ‘critical’ by the Police and Fire Service after they arrived at the terminal and were told the size of the spill. On July 25, 2007, the site was closed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after petrol vapour was detected in the terminal control room.
The leak was traced to a hole in the base of one of the main storage tanks. A significant amount of petrol seeped into the ground beneath the tank. Approximately 36,000l of spilled fuel was recovered from the terminal and neighbouring premises by a specialist contractor brought in by Conoco Phillips.
Register now to continue reading
Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.
Benefits of registering
-
In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends
-
Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year
-
Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox
UK Enters ‘Golden Age of Nuclear’
The delay (nearly 8 years) in getting approval for the Rolls-Royce SMR is most worrying. Signifies a torpid and expensive system that is quite onerous...