Blast At Bangkok Oil Refinery Triggers Huge Blaze

[chingching]

I could see the smoke clearly from my apartment on Rama 4 Road in Lumpini. I was wondering what had happened, and was glad to get this information from the Thai Visa site. I am a retired corrosion subject matter expert and worked for the largest natural gas company in North America 37 years. I would say before the people on this board start automatically trowing stones please wait for the facts to come out. And if you are by chance American you should know that even in the USA refinery fires are not uncommon. I can remember many of them thoughout the years. It is a dangerous business that we all depend on in one way or another. Petroleum leaks can be caused by many things, from human error to material stress fractures, general corrosion and even internal bacterial induced corrosion attacks. I am curious to the cause and plan to keep an eye on this story hoping to learn more. I am just glad that the Bangkok Fire Department was able to contain the fire, believe me these types of fires are difficult to control, I know from experience. Well done BFD.

Very nice to read an opinion, waiting to learn the facts, and not jump to the foregone conclusion that TIT so it must be ineptitude.

[Sateev]

Such news breaks four and a half hours after the incident?

And how should I read this "the blast was about 500 meters from the scene"?!

Very fast-moving blaze...

[webfact]

Bangchak refinery fire estimated at 100 million baht in damage

BANGKOK, 4 July 2012 (NNT)-Dr. Anusorn Sangnimnuan, President of the Bangchak Petroleum Public Co., Ltd, said today that the company could face a 100-million-baht loss in the fire that broke out at its refinery in Sukhumvit Soi 64 on Wednesday morning.

The President said the refinery will be closed for inspection while assuring that the incident will not affect its oil supply. He also indicated that the company will not relocate its plant elsewhere as speculated. The damaged refinery tower is said to have the production capacity of 80,000 barrels of oil per day.

He said the fire, which began at the third refinery tower, did not spread to the surrounding areas; nor did it cause any deaths or injuries. The refinery will be closed for inspection for the time being until the cause of the accident could be established. However, he expressed his belief that the incident was more likely to have been caused by equipment failure, rather than human faults.

Dr. Anusorn assured that there would not be a shortage of oil supply despite the closure, adding that Bangchak has other oil depots in Bangpa-in district of Ayutthaya province, Surat Thani and Samut Sakhon.

When the fire broke out, the refinery sent out warnings to the surrounding communities. According to Mr. Anusorn, the refinery will not be relocated, given its 50 years of existence in the area and the relocation cost of over 10 billion baht.

The Bangchak President stated, besides, that safety drills had constantly been conducted with residents living nearby while contacts were also made to bring about their understanding. He estimated the cost of damage at no more than 100 million baht and the repair works to take approximately 3 months.

-- NNT 2012-07-04

[saltandpepper]

Those men are real heroes. Risking life and limbs for us. Keep up the good work !

They aren't heroes. They are just doing their jobs. If they refused they would be fired.

Don't you think that they need to have something special to do this job? Something that most of us don't have? Something that makes them a kind of....hero?

No. But they should be physically fit. Don't think firefighter jobs are listed under the "Heroes Wanted" column

I know some of "physically fit" who are just cowards. I know some more who would not have the balls to put their life at risk, even if it were to save someone.

I still think that it takes something more to be a firefighter, and that something makes them very different, leaning towards heroes...

Anyway, that's my opinion,

[Thai at Heart]

If people really believe that no fire training our risk assessment goes on in Thailand in the21at century they are mad. Chevron, esso and others have been here for decades. As though every bangchack employee hasn't had some type of fire training.

Cynicism reigns

Edited July 4, 2012 by Thai at Heart

[theajarn]

Well done firemen .... the worse has been avoided .

I think the report said that the workers there brought it under control. After all, they ~are~ trained to contain these situations, are they not? I think some commendations should be given to these people whose jobs include not running for the door when something like this happens.

Edited July 4, 2012 by theajarn

[theajarn]

Time to build a nuclear power plant. Not.

HAHAHAHHAHAHA

A Thai nuke plant..... run for the ***ing hills!

Run by cheap burmese labourers paid $1 a day. No farang nuculear scientists allowed to be employed for the sake of saving face

You may laugh, but what happened in Japan during (Fukushima-Daiichi) and the reason why the conditions there were so messed up took the world by surprise. I don't think Thailand will ever consider building a nuclear facility, but then again, anything is possible, and the locals here are so malleable (thanks to the education system) that I wouldn't be surprised if one does get built.

[Acemaker]

Those men are real heroes. Risking life and limbs for us. Keep up the good work !

Spoken like a true ex-Firemen,

[Samulator]

I live and work there. Blast shook me out of bed this morning! My school (in it's infinite wisdom) decided not to close but the air has been thick all day.. stinging eyes and burning throats abound.. What safety concerns????

[jimbeam1]

Such news breaks four and a half hours after the incident?

And how should I read this "the blast was about 500 meters from the scene"?!

There is not much oil so people should not panic," said a local Bangkok fire fighter on Thai television.

The Bangchak oil refinery, which employs around 600 people, is located in a large industrial estate in a sprawling suburb.

It is among the country's biggest refineries and 120,000 barrels of oil are processed at the site every day, a company official told AFP.

Exactly I liked this part?

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. But Isn't a barrel 36 Imperial gallons?

jb1

Edited July 4, 2012 by jimbeam1

[Unkomoncents]

Good work fire team.

However, 2 explosions there in 18 months? This must be a major point of concern for the whole of Bangkok because one accident like this in the life of a facility like Bangchek is really not acceptable; 2 in 18 months shows there are endemic problems there. No way I would want to live in that vicinity until a western HSE engineering firm has been through it and all the recommendations have been up taken, and passed as up to scratch by an independent (non local) audit. Wouldn't trust anything else in this country.

I agree. from murders to exlposions and electrical-causing-fatalities...how inept can one possibly become? Time to clean-up this country, but fast. It seems that westerners have to do everything, just to set things at a decent level safety and/or operation.

It all comes down to education. Low level of education is the root of alot of the 'issues' in Thailand. The other problem is that no one appears to see the root of all the 'issues' is lack of education, and whats even more worrying is no one seems to want to do anything about it. Hate to grumble, but...

I live next to a huge refinery in the UK, and issues like this never happen. Mai pen rai attitudes?

I worked for a UK oil company once and safety was their number one. Leaving a pair of scissors 'open' around the office would cause the admin folks to give you dirty looks of disapproval! Coffees were not to be carried across the office without lids, etc.

It goes deeper than education. You always hear these assessments of the problems, which are chronic and blatant in Thailand. Some say it's corruption. I think you have to ask, "Why is education so poor in Thailand? Why is corruption such a problem?" Thailand and Thais spend more on education (both at the government level and per capita) than Taiwan and Singapore with clearly inferior results. The problem is Thailand is a cultural problem. Education is so shoddy and corruption so rampant because, for one thing, Thais are culturally predisposed to self-aggrandizement and the complete absence of self-improvement. It's certainly more complicated than just this but, I think, you cannot just blame education. Education is a problem because the culture is not conducive to success in the modern, global economy.

[webfact]

Fire at Bangchak's oil refinery (Photo Gallery)

http://www.thaivisa....25#entry5453584

[theajarn]

Good work fire team.

However, 2 explosions there in 18 months? This must be a major point of concern for the whole of Bangkok because one accident like this in the life of a facility like Bangchek is really not acceptable; 2 in 18 months shows there are endemic problems there. No way I would want to live in that vicinity until a western HSE engineering firm has been through it and all the recommendations have been up taken, and passed as up to scratch by an independent (non local) audit. Wouldn't trust anything else in this country.

I agree. from murders to exlposions and electrical-causing-fatalities...how inept can one possibly become? Time to clean-up this country, but fast. It seems that westerners have to do everything, just to set things at a decent level safety and/or operation.

It all comes down to education. Low level of education is the root of alot of the 'issues' in Thailand. The other problem is that no one appears to see the root of all the 'issues' is lack of education, and whats even more worrying is no one seems to want to do anything about it. Hate to grumble, but...

I live next to a huge refinery in the UK, and issues like this never happen. Mai pen rai attitudes?

I worked for a UK oil company once and safety was their number one. Leaving a pair of scissors 'open' around the office would cause the admin folks to give you dirty looks of disapproval! Coffees were not to be carried across the office without lids, etc.

It goes deeper than education. You always hear these assessments of the problems, which are chronic and blatant in Thailand. Some say it's corruption. I think you have to ask, "Why is education so poor in Thailand? Why is corruption such a problem?" Thailand and Thais spend more on education (both at the government level and per capita) than Taiwan and Singapore with clearly inferior results. The problem is Thailand is a cultural problem. Education is so shoddy and corruption so rampant because, for one thing, Thais are culturally predisposed to self-aggrandizement and the complete absence of self-improvement. It's certainly more complicated than just this but, I think, you cannot just blame education. Education is a problem because the culture is not conducive to success in the modern, global economy.

There's nothing wrong with the Thai education system. As Gatto (2005) would have said -- it's PRECISELY everything the government wants it to be. If you have a look around, you will find that there are actually SOME government schools that train their students EXCEPTIONALLY well. The rest? They have their obvious roles. Can you imagine if every Thai in this country had even a shred of critical thinking ability to oppose the blatant corruption that rules these lands? Schools are here for control kiddies. There's nothing "wrong" with them.

Edited July 4, 2012 by theajarn

[wimpey1946]

not so negative, things like this happen in Europe and America also

[webfact]

Officials find traces of toxic substances at oil refinery´s blast site

BANGKOK, 4 July 2012 (NNT) – The Department of Pollution Control (DPC) revealed that initial tests conducted at the site of this morning’s explosion found traces of toxic substances such as toluene, benzene and xylene.

Following an explosion and subsequent fire at the Bangchak-owned oil refinery in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 64, the DPC this morning dispatched mobile units to gauge air quality risks and signs of carcinogens in affected areas. The units detected less than 1 part per million (ppm) of toxic chemicals within the premise, which is still considered a long-term safe level.

The DPC’s mobile units are also measuring the levels of carbon monoxide and sulphur monoxide near the plant due to the high combustible nature of the refinery’s chemicals.

Residents in nearby areas are advised to wear masks, keep doors and windows closed and switch off their air-conditioning units until further notice.

Bangkok governor, M.R.Sukhumbhand Paribatra, who visited the site today, has instructed relevant district offices to closely monitor the health impacts from the explosion as well as to oversee necessary evacuations, brought on by the blast.

-- NNT 2012-07-04

[mca]

I live next to a huge refinery in the UK, and issues like this never happen. Mai pen rai attitudes?

Are you saying that you've never heard of Milford Haven or Flixboro? People died in these incidents.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10450202

[lounger]

They need to move this refinery outside Bkk and tighten up on safety

If they did that properly it would be closed for months, maybe even years.

Dismantle it? The valuable bits could then be easily stolen and sold off for a few baht.....

[PingManDan]

Time to build a nuclear power plant. Not.

LOL LOL LOL My thoughts exactly LOL

[kwonitoy]

Such news breaks four and a half hours after the incident?

And how should I read this "the blast was about 500 meters from the scene"?!

There is not much oil so people should not panic," said a local Bangkok fire fighter on Thai television.

The Bangchak oil refinery, which employs around 600 people, is located in a large industrial estate in a sprawling suburb.

It is among the country's biggest refineries and 120,000 barrels of oil are processed at the site every day, a company official told AFP.

Exactly I liked this part?

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. But Isn't a barrel 36 Imperial gallons?

jb1

42 gallons = 1 barrel

[Docno]

Good work fire team.

However, 2 explosions there in 18 months? This must be a major point of concern for the whole of Bangkok because one accident like this in the life of a facility like Bangchek is really not acceptable; 2 in 18 months shows there are endemic problems there. No way I would want to live in that vicinity until a western HSE engineering firm has been through it and all the recommendations have been up taken, and passed as up to scratch by an independent (non local) audit. Wouldn't trust anything else in this country.

I agree. from murders to exlposions and electrical-causing-fatalities...how inept can one possibly become? Time to clean-up this country, but fast. It seems that westerners have to do everything, just to set things at a decent level safety and/or operation.

Are you serious??? Your description could as easily apply to the US and other countries... but you'd like to think that Thais are "inept" and that they need Westerners to get it right. I'm awed by the thinking....

[PaullyW]

Good work fire team.

However, 2 explosions there in 18 months? This must be a major point of concern for the whole of Bangkok because one accident like this in the life of a facility like Bangchek is really not acceptable; 2 in 18 months shows there are endemic problems there. No way I would want to live in that vicinity until a western HSE engineering firm has been through it and all the recommendations have been up taken, and passed as up to scratch by an independent (non local) audit. Wouldn't trust anything else in this country.

I agree. from murders to exlposions and electrical-causing-fatalities...how inept can one possibly become? Time to clean-up this country, but fast. It seems that westerners have to do everything, just to set things at a decent level safety and/or operation.

It all comes down to education. Low level of education is the root of alot of the 'issues' in Thailand. The other problem is that no one appears to see the root of all the 'issues' is lack of education, and whats even more worrying is no one seems to want to do anything about it. Hate to grumble, but...

I live next to a huge refinery in the UK, and issues like this never happen. Mai pen rai attitudes?

I worked for a UK oil company once and safety was their number one. Leaving a pair of scissors 'open' around the office would cause the admin folks to give you dirty looks of disapproval! Coffees were not to be carried across the office without lids, etc.

It goes deeper than education. You always hear these assessments of the problems, which are chronic and blatant in Thailand. Some say it's corruption. I think you have to ask, "Why is education so poor in Thailand? Why is corruption such a problem?" Thailand and Thais spend more on education (both at the government level and per capita) than Taiwan and Singapore with clearly inferior results. The problem is Thailand is a cultural problem. Education is so shoddy and corruption so rampant because, for one thing, Thais are culturally predisposed to self-aggrandizement and the complete absence of self-improvement. It's certainly more complicated than just this but, I think, you cannot just blame education. Education is a problem because the culture is not conducive to success in the modern, global economy.

BRAVO! THIS is the issue.

[edgarfriendly]

Cos the locals have such an awesome track record when it come to safety, human rights, common logic, consideration, cleanliness, forward planning and i could easily go on.

[theoldgit]

Good work fire team.

However, 2 explosions there in 18 months? This must be a major point of concern for the whole of Bangkok because one accident like this in the life of a facility like Bangchek is really not acceptable; 2 in 18 months shows there are endemic problems there. No way I would want to live in that vicinity until a western HSE engineering firm has been through it and all the recommendations have been up taken, and passed as up to scratch by an independent (non local) audit. Wouldn't trust anything else in this country.

I agree. from murders to exlposions and electrical-causing-fatalities...how inept can one possibly become? Time to clean-up this country, but fast. It seems that westerners have to do everything, just to set things at a decent level safety and/or operation.

It all comes down to education. Low level of education is the root of alot of the 'issues' in Thailand. The other problem is that no one appears to see the root of all the 'issues' is lack of education, and whats even more worrying is no one seems to want to do anything about it. Hate to grumble, but...

I live next to a huge refinery in the UK, and issues like this never happen. Mai pen rai attitudes?

you must have missed the one at Hemel hempstead a few years ago, massive explosion,s local homes destroyed and shortage of heating fuel for the whole region in the winter.

I lived in Hemel Hempstead at the time and heard that one go off, as you say houses, factories and shops were badly damaged they closed many roads, including the M1. It even affected Heathrow as there was no fuel for the aircraft, I was on a flight to Bangkok a few days later and we stopped off at Copenhagen to take on enough fuel for the flight.

It took days to put that one out.

There was criticism at the the time about the refinery being too close to houses, the truth was that the refinery had been there for years and it was the houses that came along later.

[Litlos]

Such news breaks four and a half hours after the incident?

And how should I read this "the blast was about 500 meters from the scene"?!

There is not much oil so people should not panic," said a local Bangkok fire fighter on Thai television.

The Bangchak oil refinery, which employs around 600 people, is located in a large industrial estate in a sprawling suburb.

It is among the country's biggest refineries and 120,000 barrels of oil are processed at the site every day, a company official told AFP.

Exactly I liked this part?

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. But Isn't a barrel 36 Imperial gallons?

jb1

42 gallons = 1 barrel

That is 42 US or short gallons. About 159 litres or 35 real gallons. Before the defending the US gallon as correct answer this. Which has more volume, a barrel of oil or a barrel of water?

Cheers

Cheers

[Narratio]

(Enter the engineer currently constructing an Oil facility in Kazakhstan)

It doesn't honestly matter what country you are in. Refinery complexes are bombs waiting for somebody to make a mistake. There is not one area that you can afford to slip up on. From correct specification of original materials to replacement spares, from the skill sets of your workers to thier mindsets.

People forget that all machines wear out. And a refinery complex is just a really big machine. When your car starts rattling and making graunching noises you fix it... or possibly die in a multi car pile up when your brakes fail at high speed. Refineries are the same. Pipes wear away over 5, 10, 20 years. Pumps fail, seals leak as they get worn and corroded. These things need some serious maintaining on a daily basis.

So, when the maintenance craftsmen for whatever reason start to say "that's good enough", or management start saving money by reducing maintenance manpower (or hiring younger and thus cheaper but inexperienced manpower) or by buying cheaper parts, well... that's when these things have a tendency to go boom and incomode the passersby.

And yet maintenance costs are the first things to be reduced in annual budgets. Which is wierd as we all know that maintenance costs increase as machinery and equipment ages.

[RBOP]

I was driving by at very second of the explosion. It shook my truck and I felt the heat from the fire ball. Sorry I didn’t stop to take pictures but instinct was telling me get the heck outta here. Called my wife and she said she heard the boom and saw the fire ball growing. She took the following pictures from our condo 4.15km away. Too bad there is building in way but you can see how high the flames got. The workers standing on the roof got a good view.

[Thai at Heart]

Everyone going in or out is searched closely. I have it could from a mate who is the chief fire coordinator for the whole country that a flange failed.

This is a maintenance major failure. So be it shit happens nobody died. Thailand will continue to learn with education from the rest of the world

[Puccini]

What an absolutely useless first report by AFP:

Bangkok, July 4, 2012 (AFP) - An explosion at an oil refinery in an industrial area of Bangkok sparked a massive fire early Wednesday, sending a thick column of smoke into the air that could be seen across the Thai capital.

Thank you, The Nation, for telling us where exactly this happened:

BANGKOK: -- A blast broke out at an oil refinery operated by Bangchak Petroleum Pcl in Sukhumvit Soi 64 at about 7am on Wednesday.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Puccini

[ttelise]

Maybe its a good time for the government/PTT to move this place and the tank farm in Rama 3 area out of the city to a 'safer' location. Imagine the money they would generate from the sale of the land for developers to create a low rise urban friendly area of Bangkok.

Dint know about Thailand, but in US land would never sell . . . At least for 20 years and after superfund cleanup. Huge environmental issues building some for public on that land

[maidu]

Time to build a nuclear power plant. Not.

LOL LOL LOL My thoughts exactly LOL

Same here. I was going to mention: EGAT still wants several Nuke plants for Thailand. Won't say where, because the only chance they have of building them, is to try and slip the public a fast one up the rear.

What does Ms Yingluck say about nuclear for Thailand? Same thing she says about many important issues that affect ordinary Thai people; NOTHING.