ISSUE 234 - FREE
26 JULY
2019
COMMUNITY NEWS. ORIGINAL - ACCURATE - FIRST
017 631 1903 / 017 631 1845 • admin@thebulletin.co.za • 1 Kiewiet Street, Secunda (Lake Umuzi)
Roos & Rosslee celebrating 30 years! See page 6, 7 & 8
Theft causes pipeline fire?
Emergency calls and warnings on social media started around 02H00 alerting the public of a burning tanker as well as a pipeline fire. A fire erupted at a valve on the Transnet pipeline between Standerton and Charl Cilliers early Sunday morning. Emergency services rushed to the scene and found a Tanker on fire as well as the grass surrounding the area. A huge fire was belching from the Valve Pit. Trying to extinguish the fire at that stage would have been futile as there was a lot of fuel streaming out of the Valve Pit. The pipeline is owned by Transnet and not Sasol. It only transports Sasol’s products. The official statement received from Transnet is as follows: “During the early hours of Sunday morning a fire occurred at a block valve on the Transnet Pipelines’ pipeline between Secunda and Standerton. Transnet Pipelines has a methane gas pipeline and a redundant fuel pipeline in this location. The incident occurred on the fuel pipeline but the gas pipeline was shut down as a precautionary safety measure. Emergency response
teams were on site and extinguished the fire. Remediation teams are currently on site. The integrity of the gas pipelines has been inspected and this line was brought back into operations by 12H00 today. The fuel pipeline is the redundant pipeline between Standerton and Secunda and therefore it does not affect operations or any security of supply to the market. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Sasol Gas Fire Department as well as the local Standerton and Secunda emergency response teams for all their support and actions”. “Transnet investigations are still underway.” The Bulletin received the following statement from Sasol: “On Sunday, at approximately 03H00, a thirdparty tanker truck caught fire at one of Transnet’s redundant crude oil pipelines, about 10km from Standerton. The incident occurred at the same valve pit near a Transnet gas line that transports Sasol’s gas. The gas line has been temporarily decommissioned as a precautionary measure. Sasol Emergency Services were
dispatched to the scene to assist. The fire has been contained and emergency services are on site.” The gas line will be recommissioned once it is safe to do so. Sasol remains committed to the safety and health of our employees, service providers, community and the environment and will assist where possible. The Bulletin visited the scene and witnessed the extinguishing of the fire. According to our sources, the fire started again but was again successfully extinguished. It was apparent from some of the role players (sources from Lekwa) that it was not as simple as it seemed to be. The initial version of what happened that was circulated stated that the tanker stopped next to the road. The tanker then caught fire that ignited the surrounding grass that led to the ignition of the fuel line. It was clear to The Bulletin that this was not the case. A burned-out supply hose was visible along the ground. Our sources from Lekwa also stated that this was theft. “Stealing is stealing. No matter how you look at it.”
The truck was destroyed in the fire. The fire reached such high temperatures that the aluminium of the truck melted and flowed down the embankment. Pools of aluminium were visible on the ground. The alleged brazen attempt at stealing the fuel is beyond comprehension. The driver of the truck allegedly stopped next to the road and connected the supply hose to the valves inside the valve pit. This was done in the early hours of the morning when the road would be at its quietest. There were even warning triangles placed to warn motorists of the truck next to the road. It appears that this is not the first time that these thefts have happened. The Bulletin would like to commend the emergency services on their handling of the situation. A nearby pipeline could easily have ruptured causing far more damage and could easily have resulted in fatalities. The remoteness of the location hampered the operation at one stage as water had to be transported from nearby towns, but the fire was successfully brought under control. Well done to everyone involved!