Fire at Shell oil refinery on Pulau Bukom Singapore (Day1) - 28Sep2011

SINGAPORE: A fire that broke out at the refinery of oil company Shell on Pulau Bukom on Wednesday afternoon has intensified.

Shell had initially said that the fire at the refinery, which broke out at around 1.15pm, had been contained.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire involves petroleum products from pipes in the tank farm at the manufacturing facility.

The SCDF sent two fire engines, two fire bikes, one Red Rhino and eight support vehicles when it was alerted at 1.18pm.

SCDF and Pulau Bukom's in-house fire-fighting team are at work with 25 water jets.

Shell said all efforts are directed to ensure the safety of staff and emergency responders on site.

No injuries have been reported and all staff are accounted for.

SCDF said all non essential staff from Pulau Bukom have been evacuated from the island following the fire and that fire fighting operations are still ongoing.

In a statement, SCDF has asked the public not to call the emergency numbers - 999 and 995 - unless it is life threatening.

SCDF said it will give an update when more information is available.

The complex comprises a 500,000-barrels-a-day refinery and is Shell's largest refinery in the world in terms of crude distillation capacity. This makes Singapore a key regional supply and trading centre for the group in the East.

Some 90 per cent of Bukom's products are exported to countries in the region and beyond.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Singapore
• petroleum
• petrol
• diesel
• cruel
• oil
• refinery

[SuperNoodlenut]

I saw it from Marina Bay Sands Singapore, on the top floor from the sky garden. at first I thought it was an insane storm but then I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the explosion.

[MrJonslife]

@psvision those living at pasir panjang and harbourfront are nearer to pulau bukom compared to sentosa cove.

[mcpogi4u]

whatever

[psvision]

those who gets the soot from this fire are those living in the Sentosa Cove, as the nearest residents to Pulau Bukom. So now they know they've been conned by the govt into buying these properties; there's no clean air: refinery with heavy flaring is your neighbor, there's no clear waters: the seawater is heavily polluted by your neighbor refinery and surrounding berthed ships that dump their waste into the sea. Nevertheless, since u've bought the properties, then bare with the pollutions.