AmSafe offers battery protection

CONFERENCE DIARY

FEBRUARY

Battery Recycling Europe February 19-20, London Conference for the battery recycling and manufacturing sectors www.wplgroup.com/aci/event/batteryrecycling-europe/

International Petroleum Week (IP Week) February 25-27, London Annual week of meetings, lunches, conferences and seminars in London www.ipweek.co.uk

Hazardex 2020 & PPTEx February 26-27, Harrogate Conference and exhibition on hazardous area operations and personal protective technology www.hazardexonthenet.net/event. aspx?EventID=4848

MARCH

ChemCon The Americas 2020 March 2-6, Philadelphia Global conference on chemical regulation https://chemcon.net/upcoming.shtml

PPC Spring Meeting March 8-10, San Antonio Bi-annual meeting and tradeshow of the Petroleum Packaging Council www.ppcouncil.org/upcoming-meetings.php

IATA World Cargo Symposium March 10-12, Istanbul 14th global conference on air cargo www.iata.org/events/wcs/pages/index.aspx

NACD Regulatory and Responsible Distribution Workshop March 10-12, Long Beach Meeting for code coordinators and others subject to Responsible Distribution www.nacd.com/education-meetings/meetings/2020spring-regulatory-and-responsible-distributionworkshops/

StocExpo 2020 March 10-12, Rotterdam The main annual exhibition and conference for the European tank terminal industry www.stocexpo.com/en/ BADGP March 12, Coventry Annual AGM and seminar of the British Association of Dangerous Goods Professionals www.badgp.org/event-3391957

Tanks and Terminals 2020 March 16-18, Dubai Conference and workshop on integrity management of aboveground storage tanks www.marcusevans-conferences-middleeastern.com/

Intermodal Asia March 17-19, Shanghai Seventh annual exhibition for the Asian intermodal sector www.intermodal-asia.com

Intermodal South America March 17-19, São Paulo International exhibition on intermodal logistics, cargo transport and international trade www.intermodal.com.br/en

LogiChem March 17-19, Rotterdam Chemical supply chain and logistics conference http://logichem.wbresearch.com/

International Transport & Logistics Week (SITL) March 17-20, Paris Annual transport event, including Dangerous Goods Logistics Pavilion www.sitl.eu/en-gb.html

LNG Congress Russia March 18-19, Moscow Seventh annual congress and exhibition on developments in Russian and Arctic LNG www.lngrussiacongress.com/en

AFPM Annual Meeting March 22-24, Austin AFPM’s annual meeting for refiners and marketers www.afpm.org/Conferences/

BDP Supply Chain Summit March 25, Antwerp Seminar on trade and compliance issues www.bdpinternational.com/2020-antwerp-supplychain-summit

SCHC Spring Meeting March 28-April 1, Charlotte Biannual meeting of the Society of Chemical Hazard Communication www.schc.org/meetings AFPM IPC March 29-31, New Orleans AFPM’s annual International Petrochemical Conference www.afpm.org/events/2734f40000093b

APRIL

Argus West Africa LPG April 1-2, Lagos Conference exploring the potential for LPG in West Africa www.argusmedia.com/en/conferences-eventslisting/west-africa-lpg

Megatrans April 1-3, Melbourne Biennial trade show for the freight sector in Australia and internationally www.megatrans.com.au

Ouray Transportation & Response Symposium April 5-8, Denver First symposium to spread technical knowledge on hazmat response www.ourayservices.com/trs2020/

NISTM April 15-17, Orlando National Institute for Storage Tank Management’s 22nd annual international aboveground storage tank conference and trade show www.nistm.org

Chemspec India April 16-17, Mumbai Exhibition for the fine and speciality chemicals sectors, incorporating ChemLogistics India www.chemspecindia.com

CVSA Workshop April 19-23, San Antonio Meeting for industry, regulators and enforcers to improve commercial vehicle safety www.cvsa.org/eventpage/events/cvsa-workshop/

Cryogenic Storage Tanks April 23-24, Munich Second technical conference on liquefied gas storage www.tuvsud.com/de-de/store/academy/conferencemanagement/tank-storage-systems/cryogenic-tanks

COSTHA 2020 April 26-30, Greenville, SC Annual forum and expo of the Council on Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles www.costha.com

INCIDENT LOG

ROAD/RAIL/AIR INCIDENTS

Date Location Vehicle Type Substance Details Source

6/11/19 Port Everglades, freight train ethanol Two tank cars with ethanol separated from BSFR train and derailed; cars remained upright and there were no WSVN Florida, US reports of loss of product; cause of derailment not known

6/11/19 Amsterdam, road tanker ‘wet gas’ Pilot tank truck overturned on SR 43 after running off road; some 2,000 gal (7.5 m³) of 8,000-gal cargo Ohio, US of flammable by-product leaked from gash in tank; locals rushed to free driver trapped in cab; no fire WTOV

truck propane Truck carrying “more than a dozen” tanks with propane was in multi-vehicle crash on I-35; four cars, two NBC trucks involved; fire broke out, tanks exploded; three dead, three more injured DFW

9/11/19 Awka, Anambra, Nigeria road tanker gasoline Road tanker with 33,000 litres gasoline overturned near Murtala Muhammed International Airport, spilling This Day cargo near terminal, other buildings; rapid response prevented fire; no injuries reported

road tanker gasoline Road tanker with gasoline overturned into ditch, spilling cargo to road; locals collected fuel until police

Premium arrived and cordoned area off; no fire or injuries reported; state has instigated ban on daytime tanker traffic Times

11/11/19 River Bend, trailer Missouri, US fireworks Fire broke out in semi-trailer full of fireworks, parked on empty lot; fireworks shooting from blaze set fire to KSHB another trailer; fire was extinguished but later started again; no injuries reported; cause under investigation

13/11/19 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia road tanker palm oil Road tanker caught fire on N-S Expressway near Menora tunnel; vehicle largely destroyed in blaze, which Bernama caused partial road closure and severe delays; no indication of cause of fire

14/11/19 Ntule, Narok, Kenya

14/11/19 Ota, Ogun, Nigeria road tanker fuel Driver lost control of tanker on downhill section of Narok-Maai Mahui road, either through speeding or brake Standard failure; tanker rammed another truck, caught fire; two in tanker were trapped and killed; truck also destroyed

road tanker gasoline Road tanker overturned on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, spilling gasoline that ignited and burned 17 other This Day vehicles; two dead, six injured; defective tanker suspected; FRSC called for strict adherence to ADR

14/11/19 Upper Tyrone, freight train solvent Freight car derailed, overturned, thought to be as a result of faulty brakes; car leaked colourless liquid, later KDKA Pennsylvania, US identified as an industrial solvent, flammable; “few hundred gallons” reached nearby creek; no fire reported

16/11/19 nr Dawson Creek, road tanker crude oil Road tanker with 40,000 litres crude crashed, overturned on Pouce Coupe River bridge after driver lost BC, Canada control; fire broke out, causing bridge to be closed for investigation; some oil spilled to river Canadian Press

16/11/19 Niagara Falls, freight train butane Four tank cars with butane in CSX train derailed, three overturning; responders found no leaks from the tanks; Buffalo New York, US no injuries reported; cause under investigation by operator News

16/11/19 nr Sears Point, road tanker gasoline Tank truck overturned on Highway 121 after hitting guardrail on curve; some 4,300 gal (16.3 m³) gasoline California, US spilled, causing road to be completely closed; visitors at nearby winery were unable to leave NBC Bay Area

17/11/19 nr Khondali, road tanker benzol Road tanker carrying “crude benzol” from Odisha to Gujarat caught fire on Nagpur-Amravati highway; Maharashtra, India driver was killed in fire; not clear what happened but police said death was due to driver’s negligence Times of India

17/11/19 Mambe, Maridi, S Sudan road tanker fuel Explosion during transfer of product between two road tankers after one had broken down; three people killed, HAN seven injured in blast; exact cause remains unclear

18/11/19 Felele, Kogi, Nigeria

19/11/19 Irwindale, California, US road tanker gasoline Driver lost control of road tanker on Lokoja-Abuja highway, crashing into several other vehicles, tricycles; Punch tanker crashed, spilling fuel that ignited; at least eight people died in blaze, others injured

road tanker used oil Tank truck with 2,000 gal (7.5 m³) “used oil” was involved in crash near 605 Highway; tanker caught fire but no injuries reported; press photos showed blaze close to industrial facility with storage tanks NBC LA

20/11/19 Ajumako Duayaw, road tanker fuel Central, Ghana Road tanker was involved in crash; no fire reported but responders cordoned area off in case of explosion, Ghana requested fire tender from regional capital before trying to move vehicle Web

road tanker jet fuel Road tanker crashed, said to be due to reckless driving, spilling cargo of 44,000 litres Jet A1 on Otedola Bridge on Lagos-Ibadan expressway; rapid response prevented fire; fire crews stayed on site during cleanup All Africa

28/11/19 Vadakara, Kerala, India road tanker phenol Three people died after being exposed to chemical, thought to be phenol, spilled from road tanker; driver The unaware of incident and continued to Rajasthan; driver was later arrested Hindu

road tanker gasoline Road tanker overturned after collision on National Highway, spilling some 12,000 litres gasoline to road; driver injured in crash; police closed road PTI

road tanker butane Double tanker rolled over on I-15, cause unknown, leaked butane; half-mile evacuation imposed; road closed, KUTV diversions in place; wreck was removed later the same day without further incident MARINE/INLAND WATERWAY INCIDENTS

Date Location Vessel Substance Details Source

2/11/19 nr Nakhodka, Zaliv Amerika gas Russia Explosion aboard bunkering tanker (3,300 dwt, 1989) due to ignition of gas/air mixture in cargo tank killed Splash 247 two crew; third was blown overboard and drowned; vessel was later towed into port

3/11/19 Glenmont, New York, US

4/11/19 Lemont, Illinois, US Brooklyn diesel, High water on Hudson River caused tuboat and barge to run aground near North Albany Terminal; barge had Times gasoline 68,000 bbl gasoline, 29,000 gal diesel; no leaks reported; further rain lifted tug from bottom Union

barge acetone Tank barge exploded during cleaning at Illinois Marine Towing after residue of previous acetone cargo caught USCG fire; no indication of injuries and no pollution of canals or rivers reported; USCG on scene

10/11/19 Lahad Datu, Ever Growth palm oil Small tanker with palm oil from Sandakan caught fire at Fordeco Construction jetty; tanker was towed out to Bernama Sabah, Malaysia sea to prevent fire from spreading; no loss of life; cause under investigation

21/11/19 off Yuzhnyy, Delfi Ukraine — Bunker tanker, thought to be in ballast, dragged anchor in severe storm, drifted onto coast; crew refused FleetMon evacuation; tanker later declared total loss; thought to have been engaged in ‘grey’ bunkering

3/12/19 off Bangkok, Golden Thailand Bridge 2 fuel oil Bunker tanker sank off Chao Praya estuary; thought to have around 100 t bunker fuel aboard, of which at FleetMon least 20 t leaked; reports mention sudden massive ingress of water aft but precise cause not known

MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS

Date Location Plant type Substance Details

1/11/19 Pardubice,

explosives gunpowder Four people badly injured by explosion in gunpowder production unit of state-owned Explosia plant; Czech Republic factory subsequent fire was put out in an hour; Mining Authority, police investigating incident

3/11/19 Plaquemine, chemical crude oil Loud explosion reported at Dow Chemical plant; operator later admitted that a vessel ruptured but there was WAFB Louisiana, US plant no off-site impact other than the noise; production unit stabilised, shut down

4/11/19 Shuwaikh, Kuwait oil refinery oil Fire broke out in industrial area housing oil refinery, several garages and auto parts stores; three workers killed MENA in fire; not clear from reports what caused it

7/11/19 Novorossiysk, oil depot oil Krasnodar, Russia

7/11/19 Banias, Syria oil refinery oil Six workers were badly injured by fire at Grushovaya oil depot, reportedly after steam/air mixture exploded TASS during welding work on storage tank; inquiry under way

One worker killed, another badly injured by explosion at Syria’s largest refinery; press reports said blast happened during welding work on oil storage tank

7/11/19 Bryan county, oil well Oklahoma, US crude oil 100 bbl crude oil plus produced water leaked from Godfrey Oil Properties site into Elm Creek, which leads to NBC Lake Texoma; booms deployed to contain leak; ACE, US EPA informed; cause not yet determined DFW

11/11/19 Ipaja, Lagos, Nigeria pipeline fuel Oil thieves triggered explosion on petroleum products line in Abisan Estate; understood that they had two New road tankers, two buses and many jerrycans; thought that one vehicle touched electricity line, igniting vapours Telegraph

13/11/19 Itay el-Baroud, pipeline gasoline At least seven people killed, 16 injured by fire that broke out as thieves were stealing gasoline from pipeline; Asharq Beheira, Egypt press photos showed some locals trying to fight the fire while others continued to collect spilling fuel al-Awsat

18/11/19 Marklesburg, pipeline gasoline Estimated 27,000 gal (102 m³) gasoline leaked from Buckeye pipeline, of which 7,800 gal was recovered; no WJAC Pennsylvania, US impact on water courses, though dams were constructed as a precaution; not clear what caused leak

20/11/19 Barcellona, fireworks fireworks Five people killed, two injured by explosion in family-run fireworks factory in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto; Sicily, Italy factory police said workers at the facility may have ignited blast during welding work

25/11/19 Kuala Selangor, landfill Selangor, Malaysia chemical Fire broke out in 270 drums of chemical waste, thought to be solvents or paints, dumped illegally a few days Bernama waste earlier; state Dept of Environment had already been alerted and was analysing waste before fire started

27/11/19 Port Neches, chemical butadiene Three workers injured by powerful explosion at TPC Group plant, reportedly in processing unit; fire spread to ABC Texas, US plant storage tanks with various products; one sphere with butadiene ruptured; mandatory 4-mile evacuation News

27/11/19 Charleston, chemical phosphorus Fire broke out during unloading of container of phosphorus at Lanxess plant; shelter-in-place advisory issued; Post & S Carolina, US plant fire department was alerted by automatic alarm; site had been subject of recent OSHA citations Courier

4/12/19 Liuyang, fireworks fireworks Seven people killed, 13 injured by explosion at illegal fireworks factory in Chengtanjiang town; factory was Xinhua Hunan, China factory closed by police, who took owners into custody

5/12/19 Isheri Olofin, pipeline gasoline Explosion, fire on NNPC fuel pipeline, thought to be the result of vandals tapping into line; fire closed road Pulse Lagos, Nigeria bridge between Idowu-Egba and Ayobo; one person killed in blaze

UNINHIBITED HAZARDS

INVESTIGATION • THE RECENT FOCUS SURROUNDING POLYMERISING CARGOES HAS BEEN VERY MUCH ON TANK CONTAINERS BUT THE STOLT GROENLAND INCIDENT SHOWS THE ISSUE GOES WIDER

THE EXPLOSION AND fi re aboard the stainless steel parcel tanker Stolt Groenland while berthed in Ulsan, South Korea on 28 September 2019 has already led to some additional port restrictions. Following investigation by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), further operational changes are likely.

It was rapidly determined that the explosion took place in a cargo tank with styrene monomer, which had polymerised. Rising pressure in the tank caused the deck to give way, releasing styrene vapour that then found an ignition source.

The explosion caused a number of injuries but fortunately there were no fatalities.

Stolt Groenland (43,478 dwt, built 2009) is registered in the Cayman Islands, which asked the UK authorities for assistance in investigating the incident.

CARGO ON BOARD Stolt Groenland, operated by Stolt Tankers, departed Houston on 17 August, bound for Kobe, Japan via the Panama Canal. It was carrying 20 different chemical cargoes in 37 of its 39 cargo tanks. Among those was 5,250 tonnes of styrene monomer, loaded at the LBC terminal in Houston on 7 and 8 August and distributed across three cargo tanks.

Prior to loading the styrene, the cargo tanks were cleaned and subjected to a wall wash test, which found no problems. The tanks were not purged with nitrogen prior to loading. In accordance with cargo loading instructions, the styrene was not loaded adjacent to heated cargoes.

As is normal practice, an inhibitor was added to the styrene to prevent polymerisation. The concentration of tert-butylcatechol (TBC) inhibitor, which is typically in the range of 10 to 15 ppm, was 11.3 ppm in the shore tanks; a further 3 US gallons (11.4 litres) of TBC was added to each cargo tank before loading, to aim for a concentration of 17 ppm.

The loading was overseen by an American Cargo Assurers cargo surveyor acting on behalf of the supplier of the styrene monomer, Ineos Styrolutions, and the purchaser, Samsung C&T Corporation. The cargo surveyor issued a certifi cate of inhibitor indicating that the TBC should remain effective for 60 to 90 days; the certifi cate also confi rmed that the inhibitor is oxygen-dependent and that the styrene should be carried at a temperature between 15.5˚C and 29.4˚C.

ROUTE TO ULSAN Stolt Groenland discharged cargo from four tanks in Kobe on 23 September and then sailed to Ulsan where six more tanks were discharged at the Odfjell terminal on 26 and 27 September. The ship then moved to the Yeompo quay where two more tanks were discharged via ship-to-ship transfer to Stolt Voyager (3,560 dwt, built 2003), which then moored ahead of Stolt Groenland.

Early on 28 September, the oil/chemical tanker Bow Dalian (9,118 dwt, built 2012) secured alongside Stolt Groenland; its tanks were purged with nitrogen supply from shore ahead of a planned ship-to-ship transfer of cargo from Stolt Groenland.

At 10.43 vapour started to release from the pressure/vacuum valve on one of the cargo tanks with styrene; two minutes later a high-level alarm sounded, followed rapidly by a high-high-level alarm, indicating that the cargo level had increased to 98 per cent. In the cargo control room, the monitoring system showed a rapid rise in pressure in the tank. At 10.50 there were two explosions in way of the cargo manifold. The resulting fi reball passed very close to a road bridge above the quay. The ship’s voyage data recorder indicated that the temperature of the styrene had reached 100˚C.

Crews on both Stolt Groenland and Bow Dalian immediately directed foam monitors towards their cargo manifolds. The fi re onboard Stolt Groenland was very intense, emitting thick black smoke. Its crew evacuated using the free-fall lifeboat, while the crew of Bow Dalian were taken off by Korean Coastguard boats.

Responders continued to fi ght the blaze from shore and from water until the following morning. The remaining cargo was then discharged ashore. Damage to the cargo manifold area and accommodation block of Stolt Groenland was extensive. As of late January 2020, the vessel is still in Ulsan. INITIAL FINDINGS MAIB says the explosions on Stolt Groenland were probably caused by the rupture of the deck above the cargo tank with styrene, due to over-pressure in the tank, followed by the ignition of the vapour that was released. This could have been due to static electricity, sparks or simply the heat of the steel deck plate. A large hole was found in the centreline bulkhead and the hatch cover had been blown off.

MAIB is now moving onto a second phase of the investigation. It says it will focus on the factors that contributed to the polymerisation of the styrene cargo in one tank, the vessel’s cargo monitoring and the emergency response. It says it will continue to work closely with all stakeholders involved and aims to complete the investigation as swiftly as possible in order to ensure that appropriate action can be taken to avoid further similar incidents.

MAIB notes, in fact, that another Stolt Tankers vessel, Stolt Focus (37,467 dwt, built 2001), also experienced the polymerisation of a styrene cargo on 20 November 2019. The polymerisation was detected due to a steady increase in the temperature of the cargo; efforts to control the reaction by the addition of further inhibitor proved unsuccessful. Following consultation with chemists ashore, the styrene was distributed across four empty cargo tanks and drenched with sea water, which stabilised the monomer. Such a response is, of course, only available if there are empty tanks available.

Prior to the fi nal report being made available, MAIB is reminding chemical tanker owners and operators to always adhere to the carriage and storage instructions on the safety data sheet and certifi cate of inhibitor when carrying cargoes liable to spontaneous polymerisation, and to follow any additional instructions provided by the charterer and/or cargo owner. They are also advised to witness the addition of inhibitor into each cargo tank, and to closely monitor cargo temperatures during the voyage. Vessel operators must also ensure that their crews are familiar with the action to be taken in the event that tank monitoring equipment indicates that the cargo is self-heating or polymerising.

In the meantime, MAIB is keen to hear from shipowners, ship and terminal operators, or individuals regarding any accidents or ‘near-misses’ involving the carriage of styrene monomer on board ships, including any actions subsequently taken. www.gov.uk/maib

SINCE THE EXPLOSION ABOARD STOLT GROENLAND,

THE PORT OF ULSAN HAS PLACED RESTRICTIONS

ON THE TYPES OF CARGO THAT CAN BE HANDLED

AT THE YEOMPO QUAY, CONCERNED ABOUT THE