Bapco refinery incident under control: Jawahery

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bapco CEO Abdulrahman Jawahery has assured the public that the situation is now under control after a technical malfunction at its Sitra refinery.

The incident, resulting from exceptional rainfall in Bahrain, led to a leak of naphtha gas from one of the oil tanks.

Jawahery commended the swift response and collaboration among various entities, including the Ministry of Interior, Public Security, Civil Defense, and the Supreme Council for Environment.

He highlighted to Bahrain TV the efforts of Bapco’s internal team, Bahraini personnel, and the Civil Defense, who arrived at the scene within minutes and effectively controlled the situation.

The CEO explained that the affected tank contained naphtha, a liquid hydrocarbon substance.

He noted that similar incidents have occurred in other countries, but in this case, the prompt response and collaboration averted a potential fire and minimised environmental impact.

Jawahery expressed his gratitude for the cooperation and professionalism displayed by all involved parties, stating that the situation is now under complete control with the naphtha level in the tank significantly reduced.

Parliamentary meeting

A parliament-government meeting held yesterday discussed the situation and provided updates to the public on the incident.

MP Mohammed Al Rifaie reported that the meeting confirmed the non-toxic nature of the leaked naphtha gas, although it can cause minor side effects like nausea and suffocation.

He stated that Bapco representatives assured the parliamentarians that the gas is under control and the issue will be resolved by Thursday, with Friday as the latest deadline.

Al Rifaie attributed the odor experienced the previous day to the movement of foam used to control the gas evaporation and prevent its spread in the air.

He emphasised that government agencies, in collaboration with the Council of Representatives, are still investigating the cause of the leak.

Additionally, the assessment of damages and losses caused by the leak is ongoing.

Gas odour

MP Jameel Mulla Hassan reassured the parliamentarians during the meeting that the odor of the highly volatile naphtha gas will remain in the air for approximately three days However, he emphasised that the situation is entirely under control and the danger phase has passed.

Hassan noted that initial concerns regarding a potential tank explosion or fire did not materialise.

However, he cautioned that inhaling a certain amount of the leaked gas can cause eye redness, coughing, shortness of breath, and nausea