Incident Report

Subject:          Sri Lanka - Investigations Underway over Orugodawatta CPC Oil Tank Rim Seal Fire          

Date of Email report:   Sat 30/03/2013

Report Detail:

 
The Petroleum Corporation has begun an investigation with regard to an oil tank  at the Orugodawatta Oil stores complex
Observe the method of fire-fighting a rim seal fire.  You will note the team are reverting to manual hand line application of fire-fighting foam to the rim seal area.  Why when the tank is clearly fitted with rim seal fire-fighting pourers?  It can only suggest that the facility has integrity management issues with these units.  They are not working and have resorted to manual intervention.  The system if operable would have extinguished the fire in minutes and not hours as the story suggested.  There are too many fire-fighters on the walkway as there is potential for a rim seal fire to escalate should there be poor integrity of a pontoon (explosion in pontoon) with vapour inside – only commit the necessary resource to complete the task and then withdraw!

The tank caught fire owing to a lightning strike last afternoon. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Managing Director Susanta de Silva speaking to a local radio station said that  attention would be focused on how a situation could occur when a lightning conductor had been installed.   The fire that erupted in the tank was doused within a few hours with the help of Colombo Municipal Council and Kolonnawa fire brigades. The Managing Director said that  investigations were underway and that repairs to the damaged tank would be carried out.

Additional Documentation: