What could have led to a big disaster was last week averted when fire started at the tank farm of leading indigenous oil and gas downstream operator; Techno Oil Limited at Kirikiri town, Apapa, Lagos and completely burnt down its loading gantry.
Eyewitnesses to the fire accident which happened late afternoon on Sunday last week told Shipping Position Daily that it started around 2pm while loading activities were on-going at the tank farm. They also confirmed that the tank farm was receiving PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) at the time of the incident.
What could have led to a big disaster was last week averted when fire started at the tank farm of leading indigenous oil and gas downstream operator; Techno Oil Limited at Kirikiri town, Apapa, Lagos and completely burnt down its loading gantry.
Eyewitnesses to the fire accident which happened late afternoon on Sunday last week told Shipping Position Daily that it started around 2pm while loading activities were on-going at the tank farm. They also confirmed that the tank farm was receiving PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) at the time of the incident.
When our correspondent visited the tank farm, one of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) executive of the National Union of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (NUPENG) unit attached to the depot explained that the fire was triggered- off as a result of an ongoing construction of more tank farms not too far away from the gantry.
According to our source, the lightening from the welding job caught up and the fire started at the gantry but it was quickly put off even though it has consumed the loading gantry of the depot.
“The incident happened on Sunday afternoon, normally we are not always around on Sundays, so the fire was quickly put- off by the Lagos State fire fighters, we were fortunate that nobody was injured because the depot did not have fuel at the time of the fire, and the gantry was being used to load kerosene, this is why the fire did not extend more than it did” he said.
Our correspondent also gathered that immediately after the fire, the management started the reconstruction of the gantry in order to allay fears from customers by the time they resumed activities on Monday.
The tank farms have also suspended all loading activities and it was devoid of its usual hustle and bustle, while customers and drivers were seen loitering around without any serious activity.
However, when contacted for official response over the incident, the depot manager of the tank farm Mrs. Fola Odufuwa was said to be unavailable while efforts to get other management staff of the depot to comment on it proved abortive.
The company recently bragged that all its employees, contractors and customers are adequately trained to ensure that they work safely in their respective functions and to protect the environment, it had restated its commitment to Health, Safety and Environment, HSE matters in all its operations.
Techno Oil limited is also one of the six tank farms clustered together around the Kirikiri residential area where the residents have over the years frowned at their activities and the risk of having tank farms close to their homes.
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