/ 13 November 2008

Fire shuts down Durban refinery

A Durban oil refinery has been shut down after a fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Engen spokesperson Herb Payne said the fire had broken out in the refinery’s crude unit — the facility that feeds crude oil into the refinery’s processing units.

He said the blaze broke out shortly after midnight and had been extinguished by 3.10am by the refinery’s own firefighting team.

He said: ”It is not possible to pinpoint the cause of the fire or the cost of the damage at this stage. It is also not yet possible to say what impact this will have on fuel supplies or when the refinery will be back in operation.”

The refinery, located in Durban’s southern Wentworth suburb, supplies the country with almost 20% of its refined fuel.

He said investigations were under way to determine the cause of the fire. Mopping up operations were also under way.

Air samples that were taken would be sent to laboratories for testing.

Payne said that effluent used in fighting the blaze had been contained and would be disposed of safely.

In November last year R120-million-worth of petrol and equipment ”went up in smoke” at the refinery after a 45m high petrol tank containing 7,5-million litres of petrol was struck by lightning.

That blaze continued for nearly three days. — Sapa