ADIS: P-4 [@1-03.

7]

Thai Oil Refinery Explosion

(1999)
By
A.K. Gupta

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 Thai Oil Refinery Explosion
What happened: Fire & Explosion in Thai Oil Refinery,
Bangkok (Thailand)

When: December 2, 1999

Consequences: 7 Fatalities
13 Seriously injured
150,000 barrels oil destroyed
US$ 22.3 million property damage
Thousands of people flee their houses

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 The Incident
 A fire following an oil leak at an oil refinery
in Sri Racha district, 70 km southeast of
Bangkok, in Thailand, occurred on the 2 nd
December 1999.
 Four out of nine large oil tanks exploded
and firefighters had to battle to prevent
flames engulfing the whole refinery. 
 The force of the explosion at the refinery
was felt in nearby towns several kilometres
away.
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 The Incident

 About 30 million litres of petrol stored

in 4 floating-roof storage tanks had
been destroyed in the fire. 

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 The Causes
 Not following standard operating
procedure (SOP)
 Complacency / negligence
 According to police, the operator,
who was working at the oil tank
control room at the refinery on the
night of the blast, had left a drain
valve on one of the tanks wide open
when it was being filled.
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 The Causes
 Oil that escaped from the tank
got ignited by a car engine
started by one of the staff
members who tried to flee the
area on noticing the massive oil
leak.

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 Lessons Learnt
• Always keep track of activities during
the shift.
• Follow the SOP.
• Check the line-up before unloading.
• Never operate motorised vehicles or
electric motors near an oil spill or a
gas-cloud.

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Thank you for
your interest

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