Another fire at Shell's Bukom refinery?

On 26 Mar 2012 "flames and smoke were seen coming out of a processing plant on Pulau Bukom" according to media articles.

Photo by Straits Times, Lau Fook Kong.

Reports said "the power trip had caused the plant's 'flare system' to go off" and when asked, Shell "declined to elaborate on the incident".

Shell said "in an emailed statement that the incident was 'quickly resolved with internal resources'".

It is reported that "The National Environment Agency said it has been monitoring ambient air quality at nearby residential estates on the mainland. It said the ambient air quality has remained in the good range."

Reuters reported that Shell "shut down a fluid catalytic cracker (FCC)", later mentioned as "one of three Crude Distillation Units (CDUs)" at the Bukom refinery after black smoke was seen at the site, but "the reason for the outage was not clear". As of 27 Mar 5:13am EDT, Reuters reported that "A Shell spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment".

From the Shell website

"Flaring on 26 March 2012: The flare system and fire alarm were activated at the Pulau Bukom Manufacturing Site this morning. A disruption at one of the units activated the fire alarm. The incident was quickly resolved with internal resources. The flame and smoke that you see are from the refinery’s flare system. Flaring occurs during scheduled maintenance activities or a result of unplanned operational interruptions. Flaring acts as a “safety relief valve” to allow combustible gases to be safely burnt and released as water and carbon dioxide, which are not hazardous. There is no risk to the health and safety of the staff or public."

In Sep 2011, there was a massive fire at the Shell refineries on Pulau Bukom.

Some of our best natural shores ring Pulau Bukom.

Here's an earlier post about these shores and the potential impact of a Bukom fire on these shores.