Smoke and flames rise from the Royal Dutch Shell's Pulau Bukom offshore petroleum complex in Singapore on Wednesday 28 September 2011. Another explosion occurred Thursday, 29 September 2011 around noon local time.
(AP Photo/Sharon Tan)
The government is investigating the cause of oil giant Shell's recent Pulau Bukom refinery fire, which saw more than 100 firefighters battling the erratic two-day blaze.
Two investigators from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have been deployed to the island and are working with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers.
The ministry said on Friday it would work with Shell to examine its safety framework and tighten safety standards to prevent another such occurrence, reported The Straits Times.
MOM officers are also looking for the cause of the fire, which began in the pump room that had interconnecting pipes with fuel compounds.
The fire, which started on Wednesday 1:15pm, was finally extinguished at 9:18pm on Thursday after 32 hours. The SCDF used water jets and foam to disperse traces of fuel vapor that was still in the air on Friday.
Six Shell firefighters who were injured while fighting the initial outbreak have gone back to their normal duties after medical treatment.
SCDF said it would keep 100 firefighters and 34 vehicles on the island as precaution.
Shell sources also confirmed with the paper that the refinery is still progressively shutting down but a spokesperson said no timeline has been given for how long it will continue or when the investigations will be completed.
Wire reports have reported that the shutdown could last a month.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affair Minister Teo Chee Hean visited the refinery for an hour on Friday. He told the paper there was good cooperation between SCDF and Shell, as well as in the industry.
"The fire has been extinguished. The key thing now is to make sure that it does not reignite, and the residual hydrocarbons from the fire are properly dealt with," he was quoted as saying.
"We also want to make sure that the risks are properly handled and reduced. Going forward, we should learn from the lessons and prevent the occurrence of such fires," he noted.
Pulau Bukom is Shell's largest refinery worldwide. It processes 500,000 barrels a day with 90 per cent of the products exported to the Asia Pacific region and beyond.
Two investigators from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have been deployed to the island and are working with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers.
The ministry said on Friday it would work with Shell to examine its safety framework and tighten safety standards to prevent another such occurrence, reported The Straits Times.
MOM officers are also looking for the cause of the fire, which began in the pump room that had interconnecting pipes with fuel compounds.
The fire, which started on Wednesday 1:15pm, was finally extinguished at 9:18pm on Thursday after 32 hours. The SCDF used water jets and foam to disperse traces of fuel vapor that was still in the air on Friday.
Six Shell firefighters who were injured while fighting the initial outbreak have gone back to their normal duties after medical treatment.
SCDF said it would keep 100 firefighters and 34 vehicles on the island as precaution.
Shell sources also confirmed with the paper that the refinery is still progressively shutting down but a spokesperson said no timeline has been given for how long it will continue or when the investigations will be completed.
Wire reports have reported that the shutdown could last a month.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affair Minister Teo Chee Hean visited the refinery for an hour on Friday. He told the paper there was good cooperation between SCDF and Shell, as well as in the industry.
"The fire has been extinguished. The key thing now is to make sure that it does not reignite, and the residual hydrocarbons from the fire are properly dealt with," he was quoted as saying.
"We also want to make sure that the risks are properly handled and reduced. Going forward, we should learn from the lessons and prevent the occurrence of such fires," he noted.
Pulau Bukom is Shell's largest refinery worldwide. It processes 500,000 barrels a day with 90 per cent of the products exported to the Asia Pacific region and beyond.
Source: Yahoo News
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