Incident Report

Subject:                         Inferno at Durban Oil Depot SAPREF

Date of Email reporting Incident:   Wed 19/09/2007

Report Detail:

Fire-fighters battled for more than four hours to bring under control a blaze at Durban's Island View chemical storage depot. The inferno erupted when three tanks containing highly flammable chemicals exploded at 7pm on Tuesday. Hundreds of residents on the Bluff flocked to view flames shooting high into the night sky. managing director of Island View Storage Kobus Ehlers said it was not certain what had caused the fire. He was also not certain yet what chemicals the tanks contained. "Obviously forensic investigations will be conducted to determine what caused all of this." However, it was believed that two of the tanks contained solvents and the third lubricant oil. An emergency response plan for the Island View Complex involving Durban Metro, Transnet National Ports Authority Fire and Emergency Services and Ambulance Services was immediately activated. Vessels at Island View berths were evacuated. There were unconfirmed reports that residents on the Bluff, near the depot, were also evacuated. Ethekwini metro police cordoned off all roads in the area, rerouting trucks headed for the Durban Container Terminal. "At this stage it is not known whether there have been any injuries or casualties," the National Ports Authority said in a statement. A Bluff resident, Ivan Raimbault, said his house, which overlooks the depot, shook with the first blast. This was followed 10 minutes later by another explosion and five minutes afterwards, by a third blast.

Firefighters Battle Durban Oil Depot Inferno

Durban - Hundreds of residents on the Bluff in Durban had to be evacuated on Tuesday night after three tanks exploded at the Island View oil depot at about 18:30.   The blaze could not be contained and by 22:30 had spread to six more tanks in the depot.  Emergency services quickly evacuated residents, but were still sending out alerts to the public to stay away from the area until the inferno had been contained.

Beeld reports that there were no confirmed reports of injuries, but three workers were believed to be missing after the explosions.  There were no other reports of injuries.  While emergency teams battled to put out the inferno, residents were forced to look for alternative accommodation.  Although several police officers were tasked to evacuate the area, many curious residents preferred to line the nearby streets to "catch some of the action". A resident, who did not want to named, told The Witness that she was with her children when she had heard a very loud explosion. "The windows rattled when the first explosion went off, but then there was a louder explosion and then a somewhat softer one. "Then I heard screeching of tyres and saw that the taxis from the nearby taxi ranks were speeding up the road. "I didn't know what to think. I thought it could be a bomb," she said. She said her teenage son had fallen off a chair on their patio when he heard the explosions. "We have been living here since 1996 and this is the first time something like this has happened ... and I hope it never happens again. "It was a terrifying experience. I didn't know whether to leave the house and run or just stay indoors," she said. Douglas Kraek was in a taxi returning from work when the explosions occurred. The taxi just shook. I didn't know what was happening. All I could think about was my family at home in the flats. "I looked to the sky and all I could see was black smoke and then I started to panic," he said. Kraek's family was taken to a local church where hundreds of other families were being housed. "I want to see what's going on because it is our houses down there. I was told to just sit here until police tell us where we should go. "Yes, I am sleepy and will probably not wake up for work," he said. ER24's Derrick Banks told The Witness that it was too early to estimate how many people had been evacuated.  He reported that there were no fatalities or injuries.

Durban Oil Tank Explosion Prompts Evacuation, SAPA Reports
Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- South African fire-fighters evacuated 100 residents after three tanks containing flammable chemicals exploded at the Island View oil depot in Durban, South African Press Association reported.  The first explosion occurred around 7 p.m., with the second tank exploding at about 7.10 p.m., and the third at 7.15 p.m., SAPA reported, citing witness Ivan Raimbault. Vessels at the depot berths were evacuated as well, the report said. Fire-fighters battled for more than four hours to control the blaze, the report said. There were no confirmed reports of injuries or casualties, the report said, citing a statement by the National Ports Authority.
The oil depot is linked to SAPREF, South Africa's biggest oil refinery, jointly owned by BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc. The 180,000 barrel a day plant is about 16 kilometers south of Durban.

UPDATE: Email dated (19/09/2007)

Sapref Storage Tanks `Aren't Linked' to Durban Depot Explosion 
By Carli Lourens

Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- South Africa's largest oil refinery, Sapref, jointly owned by BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, said its storage facilities at Durban port aren't linked to explosions at an oil depot there yesterday.  ``The explosions aren't linked to our facilities,'' Margaret Rowe, Sapref communications manager, said from her mobile phone today. She referred all queries to Island View Storage Ltd., owned by Bidvest Group Ltd. Three explosions occurred at the Island View depot, the Johannesburg-based South African Press Association reported, citing the National Ports Authority. The authority's spokeswoman, Jyothi Naidoo, didn't answer calls to her mobile and office phones.