Blast At Bangkok Oil Refinery Triggers Huge Blaze

[biplanebluey]

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.

Sorry to dissillusion you mate but you will learn nothing more from this. The thais will tell us they have discovered the cause and due to stricter measures will not happen again in the future and no more will be heard----- like all their problems----- Case closed------- Good night, Dougal

[atyclb]

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

How dare you inject "logic" "reason" or "competence"

[SantiSuk]

My wife has cousins and an aunt who live in an Issaan ghetto along Thanon Rotfai next to the port and squeezed in between refineries. Must have been only half a kilo or so away from the blast (if not right next door to it - in which case I do not agree with the 100 families living close to it comment).

Every time I go there for a visit I am amazed by its village-like community but I'm always glad to escape. It's a death trap waiting to be sprung. Must be at least 1,000 living units in 10 large 8 storey blocks all within 50 to 100 metres from a tank farm. One bad explosion and there could be a catastrophic death toll from asphyxiation or burning. Quite a few falang also seem to live in this moo ban with their Thai ladies and ladyboys. I keep telling my wife that her family are bonkers living there. Every time she goes there alone I worry that she may not come back one day. I think I am going to ban her from taking our kid and refuse to go myself, just to get the message accross.

I see some big wig has already determined that no lessons will be learnt even before the flames have died - 'we are not going to move because the cost is 10 billion baht'. fuc_kwit!

Edited July 4, 2012 by SantiSuk

[cdnski12]

Canadian Oil Refiners will push up our local prices. That happens everytime there is a Oil Refinery Fire anywhere in the world; even though Canada has huge surpluses of Oil. Oil companies & Governments will always "Sock to Ya" on any spurious excuse, to line their pockets with money.

[webfact]

related topic:

Bangchak refinery will not be relocated despite fire

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....d-despite-fire/

[theblether]

I remember when I was a boy my father coming home from work as white as a sheet, a fire had started in the industrial complex he worked in and the flames had raced along the pipes towards the gas storage tanks. His crew did what they could and when the fire brigade arrived they issued an immediate order, evacuate, literally, run for your lives.

To this day he doesn't know how the fire brigade managed to prevent an explosion that would have wiped out half of our town. Partly because he did what he was told, he ran. The firemen didn't run, and they saved the day.

Moral? Fires happen in every country, in industrial complexes all over the world, in fact it's not been that long since we had a horrific and terrifying industrial complex fire in England that killed 4 firemen.

In Scotland we have a saying, " a man's a man for all that ", these firemen are a worldwide brotherhood and thank god for them running towards fires while telling others to run away.

All that can happen here is the complex management must dig deep into the cause of this fire, very often it's a lack of routine maintenance, and a lack of cleaning combined with human error, ie people smoking in restricted areas. Where you find humans, you will find human error. The trick is to train and minimize it.

It would be too easy to condemn this fire and so descend into an orgy of Thai bashing, but trust me, there were plenty of fathers at that blaze wondering if they were going home that day. That's the greatest motivation for getting to the truth, a simple matter of life and death, and no country, no complex, is immune from it.

Thank God for firemen.

[gk10002000]

RT @191Thailand: Firefighters at the scene of the fire at the Bang Chaak oil refinery http://bit.ly/Llh1kg - TR @faajung_Galz

I don't like what I see in this photo. Too many personnel in one spot. Too many at the same risk. I applaud them for standing their ground, but this seems like an improper deployment.

[metisdead]

Nonsense troll posts have been removed.

[SantiSuk]

My wife has now checked with my aunt. Yes they were right next door to the fire. So much for the 100 families living close report - more like 1,000 within 300 metres and probably 10 times that within a kilometre. Poor reporting or deliberate minimisation of fear?

Wife's aunt said it was very scary. When the explosion happened she tried to run out of the ghetto appartment complex, but it was impossible as too many people were trying to get out at once. They all decided to stay in their appartments

I reiterated to my wife that her aunt is mad living there - 'everybody know it is very dangerous teelak - that's why the rents are very very cheap'!!!

I guess the rents may get even cheaper now

I hope when and if the place does explode properly that the mob do something appropriate with the guy who has already decided that it's too expensive to move the refinery. Perhaps the government should insist on some contribution to demolish that housing project (it's quite old - may well have pre-existed the refinery) and move the people. Fat chance - nobody killed - next

[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.

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.

Mate, you need to google Texas City and BP to see the kind of stuff that happens elsewhere. Brit company. American workers. Who you gonna blame?

[QED]

I wonder how many of the self declared experts on here have even been inside a refinery, plant, or rig in Thailand? I would guess the vast minority. I have been in dozens, including Bangchak, I had staff there performing integrity checks just a few weeks ago (on the other side of the plant I am happy to say). I have also been in dozens around the world. Thai safety standards in the oil industry are, IMO, as good as the 'developed' world, and far better than a lot of places I have been.

I have seen people marched off sites and instantly dismissed for safety breaches in Thailand, their training, maintenance and integrity planning are up there with anywhere else I have been.

You want scary, try the government run refinery in Kingston, Jamaica. They really are in their own little world and will not allow any Western influence, that really is an accident waiting to happen. I actually reported a guy for smoking a joint whilst wearing flip-flops and no helmet in a hazardous area, and just got a 'relax mon' from the site manager....

Seems all the naysayers here are relating their experiences with local traders/vendors, and have not seen the elite class of overseas educated Thais who are now the top and middle management in the oil industry here.

Talking about offshore, as said the majority is Chevron, and the PTTEP fields are 40% owned by TOTAL and something like 30% British Gas, they are just operated by PTTEP. And guess who the overall manager of the Bongkot Field is? A French guy from TOTAL.

As said accidents happen all over the world, UK, USA, Aus etc., so please stop with all the unwarranted Thai bashing, when the majority of you don't even know what you are talking about.

[PaullyW]

I wonder how many of the self declared experts on here have even been inside a refinery, plant, or rig in Thailand? I would guess the vast minority. I have been in dozens, including Bangchak, I had staff there performing integrity checks just a few weeks ago (on the other side of the plant I am happy to say). I have also been in dozens around the world. Thai safety standards in the oil industry are, IMO, as good as the 'developed' world, and far better than a lot of places I have been.

I have seen people marched off sites and instantly dismissed for safety breaches in Thailand, their training, maintenance and integrity planning are up there with anywhere else I have been.

You want scary, try the government run refinery in Kingston, Jamaica. They really are in their own little world and will not allow any Western influence, that really is an accident waiting to happen. I actually reported a guy for smoking a joint whilst wearing flip-flops and no helmet in a hazardous area, and just got a 'relax mon' from the site manager....

Seems all the naysayers here are relating their experiences with local traders/vendors, and have not seen the elite class of overseas educated Thais who are now the top and middle management in the oil industry here.

Talking about offshore, as said the majority is Chevron, and the PTTEP fields are 40% owned by TOTAL and something like 30% British Gas, they are just operated by PTTEP. And guess who the overall manager of the Bongkot Field is? A French guy from TOTAL.

As said accidents happen all over the world, UK, USA, Aus etc., so please stop with all the unwarranted Thai bashing, when the majority of you don't even know what you are talking about.

Did you just use the word "elite"?

[QED]

Did you just use the word "elite"?

Yeah, was getting a bit carried away with my rant . But certainly elite compared to the Somchais most members come across during their daily business.

I guess I should have said comparatively elite.....or something like that

[PaullyW]

Did you just use the word "elite"?

Yeah, was getting a bit carried away with my rant . But certainly elite compared to the Somchais most members come across during their daily business.

I guess I should have said comparatively elite.....or something like that

OK, I hear you.

[stefb1964]

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 have been waiting for this to happen on the offshore platforms(which will happen for sure)...How will they bring that under control???? Some may remember ALPHA Platform in the north sea....it's only a matter of time.

I still remember that one very lively..

[MaciejKlimowicz]

Some more photos and a video here

http://skokwbokblog.com/tajlandia/eksplozja-w-bangkoku/

cheers

[johnlandy]

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.

have been waiting for this to happen on the offshore platforms(which will happen for sure)...How will they bring that under control???? Some may remember ALPHA Platform in the north sea....it's only a matter of time.

Piper Alpha operated by Occidental.

And the way people are lauding the Bangchak fire team and making them out to be heroes is a bit over the top. It's just a part of their job 'another day at the office' and exactly what they should have been trained for and are being paid to do.

95% of them could not fill the boots of one of the 343 who died at the WTC. Those guys were rightly described as heroes.

[tom21]

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.

have been waiting for this to happen on the offshore platforms(which will happen for sure)...How will they bring that under control???? Some may remember ALPHA Platform in the north sea....it's only a matter of time.

Piper Alpha operated by Occidental.

And the way people are lauding the Bangchak fire team and making them out to be heroes is a bit over the top. It's just a part of their job 'another day at the office' and exactly what they should have been trained for and are being paid to do.

95% of them could not fill the boots of one of the 343 who died at the WTC. Those guys were rightly described as heroes.

same as the fire fighters at the WTC . doing what they were paid to do no more no less

[SJN]

Could see the fire and smoke from my building in Bangna..Scaryyyy.