Shell refinery fire at Bukom continues on Thursday

3 more explosions heard at Bukom around noon on Thursday
Amanda Tan Straits Times 29 Sep 11 12:24pm;

Three more explosions were heard around Pulau Bukom at about 12 noon on Thursday, and the SCDF told The Straits Times that two of its fire engines were badly damaged by the fire at the Shell refinery there.

One fire-engine sustained partial damage.

The blaze, which began at about 1.15pm on Wednesday, appear to have re-started and witnesses saw a 'fire ball shooting into the sky around the time of the explosions.

Some laboratory staff and executives are still at the refinery but their office is far way from the pump room where the fire is.

The SCDF has confirmed that there has been a surge in the fire at the manufacturing facility. The fire is still contained within the bund wall.

Boundary cooling operations are still being carried out to prevent heat exposure to the nearby storage tanks.

Another explosion heard at Bukom
Sudden burst of flames, visible from mainland, say witnesses
Today Online 12:39 PM Sep 29, 2011

SINGAPORE - An explosion was heard and seen at Pulau Bukom at noon today - just hours after Shell had announced in a press release that the chemical fires at the oil refinery island, which started at 1.15pm yesterday, had been "significantly reduced".

Mr Ben Koh, who works at the PSA container port on the mainland across from Pulau Bukom, told Today he saw flames "suddenly shooting up from a distance" at around 12pm, accompanied by the sound of an explosion which he described as "an echoing boom".

Since then, the smoke plume from the island has been visibly larger, said Mr Koh.

The island is about 5km off the coast of Singapore.

Earlier today, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a 6.30am pressrelease that while 100 firefighters were still battling the fires, the situation was "under control". Six fire engines and 13 support vehicles were also at the site.

In a 10am press release, Shell said it had "worked closely with the SCDF throughout the night to put out the fire at the Pulau Bukom Manufacturing Site", adding that "the fire has now been significantly reduced and is contained to within a bunded area".

The six Shell firefighters who sustained minor injuries battling the blaze have gone back to their normal duties, said the oil company. "Staff have also reported for work at Pulau Bukom and controls have been put in place on movements in the affected areas to ensure their safety," it added.

"Safety is our top priority. The units in the vicinity of the fire incident remain shut down as a precaution. As such we advise that a larger flare will be visible. The flare is a safety procedure and is no cause for alarm. There are no toxic vapours released."

The National Environment Agency said in a public advisory on its website that no toxic gases have been detected on the mainland. The NEA has been "closely monitoring" ambient air quality since yesterday, it added. The increase in the three-hour PSI reading this morning (peaking at 68 at 8am) is due to smoke haze being blown over from South Sumatra, and not the Buko fires, an NEA source told Today.

Update: Fire surges at Shell's S'pore refinery
Business Times September 29, 2011, 12.50 pm (Singapore time)

SINGAPORE - There has been a surge in the fire at Shell's Singapore refinery, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a statement on Thursday.

'The fire fighting operations are still ongoing,' the statement added.

'There has been a surge in the fire at the manufacturing facility. The fire is still contained within the bund wall. Boundary colling operation is still being carried out to prevent heat exposure to the nearby storage tanks.'

Two SCDF fire engines were badly damaged by the fire, it said.

One fire engine sustained partial damage. -- REUTERS

Explosions heard at Pulau Bukom refinery
Channel NewsAsia 29 September 2011 1312 hrs

SINGAPORE: Explosions were heard at the Pulau Bukom Shell refinery around noon on Thursday.

Witnesses at the Pasir Panjang port and at West Coast said they saw more black smoke and fireballs shooting into the sky.

Mr Chen, who called the Channel NewsAsia hotline, said: "The smoke was thicker than yesterday."

In an update on Thursday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said there has been a surge in the fire at the Shell manufacturing facility.

Fire fighting operations are still under way and the fire is still contained within the bund wall.

SCDF said about 20 water jets are being used to carry out boundary cooling operations to prevent heat exposure to the nearby storage tanks.

At 8am, a fresh fire fighting crew has relieved the fire fighters who have been working throughout the night.

Two SCDF fire engines were badly damaged by the fire and one fire engine sustained partial damage.

There were no injuries reported.

The fire, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon, involves petroleum products from pipes in the tank farm at the manufacturing facility measuring 150 metres by 50 metres.

SCDF said early Thursday that it has about 100 fire fighters fighting the fire with six fire engines and 13 support vehicles.

About 250 essential Shell personnel are also on Pulau Bukom helping with the operations.

"We believe it was an accident. A full investigation will be conducted once
the fire is put out," said Shell in a statement.

All non-essential staff from Pulau Bukom have been evacuated from the island.

- CNA/AFP/cc/al

Shell still trying to contain Bukom fire
Today Online 04:24 PM Sep 29, 2011

SINGAPORE - Shell is still working with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to contain the fire at Pulau Bukom.

A statement from the company at 2pm said their global fire consultants are on site to provide input to the team.

Shell said that at around noon, they experienced a surge in the flames - visible from the mainland, with witnesses in the Pasir Panjang area saying they heard at least three explosions. However, the fire "continues to be contained", said Shell.

The source of the surge in the fire was "remnant light fuel components where the fire originated".

The smoke observed is from "hydrocarbons that are not fully combusted", added Shell in its statement.

Shell said the units in the vicinity of the fire incident remain shut down as a precaution. As an added precautionary measure, only essential staff remain on Bukom.

The explosions at noon came was just hours after Shell had announced in a press release that the chemical fires at the oil refinery island, which started at 1.15pm yesterday, had been "significantly reduced".

Mr Ben Koh, who works at the PSA container port on the mainland across from Pulau Bukom, told Today he saw flames "suddenly shooting up from a distance" at around noon, accompanied by the sound of an explosion which he described as "an echoing boom".

Since then, the smoke plume from the island has been visibly larger, said Mr Koh.

The island is about 5km off the coast of Singapore.

The SCDF confirmed in a 12.30pm press release that "there has been a surge in the fire at the manufacturing facility", though the fire "is still contained within the bund wall" at the facility. Boundary cooling operations are being carried out using water jets, to prevent heat exposure to the storage tanks nearby, it added.

Two fire engines had been "badly damaged" during fire fighting operations, while another sustained "partial damage", the SCDF said in its statement. No further injuries were reported.

Earlier today, the SCDF said in a 6.30am press release that while 100 firefighters were still battling the fires, the situation was "under control". Six fire engines and 13 support vehicles were also at the site.

The firefighters who had been working overnight were relieved and replaced by a fresh firefighting crew at 8am, the SCDF later added.

The six Shell firefighters who sustained minor injuries battling the blaze have gone back to their normal duties, said the oil company.

The National Environment Agency said in a public advisory on its website that no toxic gases have been detected on the mainland. The NEA has been "closely monitoring" ambient air quality since yesterday, it added. The increase in the three-hour PSI reading this morning (peaking at 68 at 8am) is due to smoke haze being blown over from South Sumatra, and not the Bukom fires, an NEA official told Today.

Pictures: Reinforcements sent to Pulau Bukom as fire rages more intensely
Amanda Tan Straits Times 29 Sep 11, 2:50pm

Three more fire engines and one support vehicle were sent on a barge to Pulau Bukom at 2pm.

The vehicles carried reinforcement supplies needed to help put out the blaze, which raged more strongly at 12pm on Thursday.

Hundreds of employees working in the island have been evacuated, although several executives from Shell are believed to be staying put.

Meanwhile, supervisors are rounding up their workers and conducting headcounts at Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal and bussing them away.

At about noon on Thursday, three more explosions were heard around Pulau Bukom. The SCDF told The Straits Times that two of its fire engines were badly damaged by the fire at the Shell refinery there.

One fire engine sustained partial damage.

The blaze, which began at about 1.15pm on Wednesday, appear to have re-started and witnesses saw a 'fire ball shooting into the sky' around the time of the explosions.

Hundreds of workers have been ferried back to Singapore. Some laboratory staff and executives are still at the refinery, but their office is far way from the pump room where the fire is.

The SCDF has confirmed that there has been a surge in the fire at the manufacturing facility. The fire is still contained within the bund wall.

According to Shell in a statement released at 2pm on Thursday: 'The source of the fire are remnant light fuel components within the specific area where the fire originated. The smoke observed is from hydrocarbons that are not fully combusted.'

Shell has also stressed that only essential staff remain on the island.

Boundary cooling operations are still being carried out to prevent heat exposure to the nearby storage tanks.

UPDATE 5-Shell partially shuts Singapore refinery as fire rages
* Fire forces Shell to shut two of three crude units
* Shell Singapore refinery fire surges again -civil defence
* Smoke plume has not affected Singapore -environmental agency (Recasts with partial refinery shutdown)
Luke Pachymuthu and Yaw Yan Chong Reuters Thu Sep 29, 2011 3:43am EDT;

SINGAPORE, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) has shut most of its half-a-million barrels-per-day Singapore refinery, sources said, as firefighters struggle to contain a blaze that has been burning for more than a day.

The plant, the company's biggest, makes up more than a third of refining capacity in the city-state, the world's largest market for fuel oil and Asia's hub for crude and refined product trading.

Any disruption to supply in the Asian region's oil trade hub could be out of proportion to the size of the refinery.

"There has been a surge in the fire at the manufacturing facility," the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a statement.

Industry sources said Shell has shut two of its three crude distillation units, including the largest No 5 unit, with the third running at reduced rates.

A Shell spokesman declined comment on the partial shutdown of the refinery or the status of the blaze. An earlier statement said the fire had been significantly reduced.

The cause of the blaze, being tackled by at least 100 firefighters on Bukom island off Singapore, is unknown.

At least one shipowner said his ship had to pull off from the loading berth at around 1000 GMT on Wednesday, more than 5 hours after the fire started.

"We had to cast off (from the berth) halfway through the loading," the shipping source said.

"Our vessel is sitting at anchorage now, waiting for further instructions from Shell's terminal, but no indication has been given on when we can go back in."

MARKET IMPACT

The cost of prompt delivery oil product cargoes in Singapore's swaps markets surged on Thursday, indicating traders expect near-term shortages even after Shell said it could continue to supply the market from storage and other refineries.

Front-month timespreads for gas oil, fuel oil and naphtha rose to over seven-month peaks, with the premium of October gas oil swaps over November hitting the highest in almost three years.

Production units near the blaze were shut as a precaution. Shell said in the process of the closure, a larger flare would be visible, but that it would not release any toxic vapours.

One Shell firefighter suffered a superficial injury, and five others had heat exhaustion and pulled muscles, the company said. Three Civil Defence Force fire engines were also damaged.

The company said the fire had damaged the pump room, which contains pipes used for blending refined fuels.

Shell is operating its ethylene cracker normally using alternative feedstock. The ethylene cracker is typically fed by products from the hydrocracking unit that was shut.

The smoke plume generated from the fire has not affected Singapore so far, the National Environment Agency said. In a statement, the agency said it was keeping a close watch on the situation and asked the public not to be alarmed. (Additional reporting by Harry Suhartono, Alejandro Barbajosa and Francis Kan; Writing by Manash Goswami; Editing by Michael Urquhart)