The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Tank

  • Calabar tank farm fire: Positive side of tragedy

    Tragedy, like war is what nobody prays for. Discussing or mere talking about it is even tough for some as they feel awful or scared at the mention of it. However, the two are realities of life. They happen whether one likes it or not.  Life, itself is even described as a war. It is a thing we live with, day in day out.

    Human beings encounter tragedies or wars in different ways. For some, it is nagging domestic issues while in extreme cases, humans are faced with loss of precious ones and invaluable materials. Nobody prepares for it and none could predict its consequences. No matter how careful, one’s level of safety and security consciousness notwithstanding, they just happen, leaving behind tales of woes, sadness and catastrophes.

    For LINC Tank Farm Limited, Calabar, it was a tragedy too many on July 16, when its farm went up in flames as a result of an oil spillage. The inferno which occurred at about 3.40am claimed lives including those of a key worker of the farm, two in the opposite company, DOZZY Oil and Gas Tank Farm and some security personnel. The neighbouring community also shared from the tragedy as the inferno which erupted while people were scooping petrol (PMS) killed a number of the villagers. In addition, properties worth millions of Naira were also destroyed in LINC, DOZZY and other adjacent organizations. The environment was not spared too, as it suffered debilitating damages; the flora and fauna seriously hit.

    Three weeks after this sad incident, the whole of  Calabar Free Trade Zone is still in gloom as noticed when the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (downstream) paid an on the spot assessment to the farms last Thursday. From the entrance of the CFTZ to the LINC Farm, the adverse effects of the disaster were still palpable.

    Right inside the farm, one can only pity and empathize with the organization, as its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Patrick Ifeanyi Oramah conducted the team round the erstwhile functional and robust depot now characterized with charred structures, burnt facilities and dim looking workers. It was a pitiable sight that left most of the legislators feeling very concerned.

    Chief Oramah explained to the lawmakers that he was traveling out of the country when he got the most destabilizing call in his life that an oil spillage in their tank farm ignited and resulted in loss of lives.

    “The tragedy” Chief Oramah said “ensued as consequence of spillage of petroleum (PMS) into the drains while it was being pumped from Dozzy Jetty, through pumps run via our farm, to Dozzy Depot, another tank farm located opposite us. The spilled petroleum later got ignited while people were scooping it outside our premises”.  He told the lawmakers that his company did not have any product in any of its tanks as at the time of the incident as the tanks had remained empty since January, the last time they sold petroleum products at the depot.

    Oramah however became emotional as he revealed to the legislators that his company was expecting delivery of products to the tank farm the week the unfortunate incident occurred declaring that the incident was a terrible calamity for them and that they were deeply saddened.

    “LINC Nigeria Limited is terribly saddened over this disaster, particularly, the loss of human lives. We intensely commiserate with the families of the bereaved and the entire Esuk Utan Community. Our heartfelt sympathies go to DOZZY Tank Farm Limited and all our neighbours over these monumental losses” Chief Oramah said in an emotion laden voice.

    He however disclosed to the visiting legislators that the management of Calabar Export Free Zone handled the tragedy with deft and utmost sense of responsibility as he also praised the Fire Service, Nigeria Police and other security and safety agencies for their promptness and diligence in combating the fire.

    The instantaneous display of concern and conscientiousness by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its regulatory agency, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to the disaster was also commended before the legislators. Oramah explained that that LINC has always been in total compliance with safety and security measures in and around its premises and in all its operations. He however added that Investigations were on- going and that his company was cooperating fully with the various agencies.

    Done with the briefings, the chairman of the committee on Petroleum (downstream), Honourable Joseph Akinlaja Iranola condoled the management of LINC, DOZZY, and the entire community over the unfortunate incident.

    Akinlaja said the committee was impressed with the effective management of the disaster by the Export Free Zone, the security and safety agencies of Cross River State and the federal government. He said with such exhibition of effectiveness in combating this tragedy, Nigeria was genuinely making progress in disaster management.

    The chairman assured that the National Assembly would continue to see to the protection and safety of lives and property of citizens in its legislative functions.

    As tragic as the incident was, it however provided some positives as narrated by the Chief Executive Officer of LINC, Chief Patrick Ifeanyi Oramah: the display of capacity, competence and care by all the concerned authorities and agencies of government, that our institutions are truly living up to their responsibilities in the spirit of change. This comes with the hope that the consequences of this ugly incident would not matter to LINC, all the organizations and individuals affected in no time.

     

    • Olaosebikan writes through midascommunications@gmail.com

  • ‘Nine killed in Calabar tank farm fire’

    At least 13 persons were feared killed in a tank farm fire at the Calabar Free Zone Enterprise (FZE) in Cross River State yesterday.

    Several others sustained severe injuries and were taken to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

    The Calabar FZE in Esuk Utan Community is host to several tank farms.

    The fire was due to illegal activities in one of the tank farms, The Nation gathered.

    It was learnt that a vessel was supplying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, to two of the tank farms around 2am.

    The ship, which was on the river nearby was supplying the product through pipes that passed through the premises of both tank farms. The distance between the ship and the tank farm is about a kilometre.

    While supplying was going on, a staff of one of the farms, identified as Sunny, who it was gathered was not on duty that night, opened the pipes inside their premises to siphon petrol.

    It was believed he was working with others and had been successful for a while until the pressure from where he was siphoning from knocked him down. It could not be ascertained what caused this. He died on the spot.

    The petrol filled the premises and flowed through gutters back into the river and into the Esuk Utan community, the host community. Due to the strong fumes, some members of the community woke up to realise that petrol was flowing through their gutters and decided to scoop the product for themselves. A fire was ignited and killed six of them.

    The Nation learnt that the fire followed the petrol through the gutters back to the vessel. The men on board managed to stop the fire from engulfing the vessel, using sophisticated fire-fighting equipment.

    However, a fishing settlement on the waterfront nearby was not so lucky. The settlement, which also serves as a fish market, was razed and seven people, who lived there, died, according to eyewitnesses. Several wooden canoes and engine boats were caught in the inferno.

    Three vessels in the adjoining Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) were also affected by the fire.

    A employee of one of the tank farms, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “Almost 30 people that we have been able to confirm have died. So many have severe injuries and have been rushed to the hospital. I saw someone whose entire legs had melted in the fire. It was only his bones that were sticking out. I do not know if he would survive. It was very horrible. There was fire everywhere. Nobody knew where they would run to. Many other companies in this vicinity and even inside the NPA have had one equipment or the other affected by the fire. The truth is that they were doing an illegal business there; that is why there was no safety measure. In fact, there was no safety measure at all that is why the situation got out of hand. If it was a normal operation, I believe it could have been contained easily. It is something they have been doing all the time, but today was bad luck for them.

    ”Despite what has happened, I can say it is just fortunate that the tank farms themselves did not blow up, thanks to the sophisticated fire-fighting equipment they have here, because the impact would have been like that of an atomic bomb. If that had happened, there is no community around us that would not have been severely affected.”

    Commissioner of Police Hafiz Inuwa confirmed the deaths. He said his men were on ground when the fire was raging and helped put out the fire as well as cordoned the area so hoodlums would not take advantage of the situation to loot.

    Commissioner for Petroleum Resources Mr Itaya Nyong, who was at the scene of the incident, confirmed the fire was as a result of the activities of criminal elements who were siphoning petrol from the tank farm.

    He said they were colluding with some security officials to carry out the nefarious act.  He added that an investigation would be launched into the matter and culprits brought to book.

    Inuwa  was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as saying:  “Up until now, nobody has come out to tell us that this is what caused the fire outbreak. We have gone round, we have done what we can do but investigation will later reveal what actually led to the explosion.

    “For now, nine people are confirmed dead and many others who sustained different burns are currently receiving treatment in one of the hospitals around town.’’

  • Cleansing your water tank

    Cleansing your water tank

    Water tank cleaning is a major household chore. You can do it yourself (DIY) or call in professionals to do it for you. If you do it yourself, make sure nobody falls off the roof or something like that.  DIY can be fun and can help to bond members of the household. If you want to clean your water tank and have some funds for it, heck out your supermarket and hard ware stores for useful products and tips. If you DIY -first, remove the float switch and any electrical device or component to avoid electric shock accidents. Then shut off the connecting pipes so that water from the cleaning does not run into the pipes supplying the house. The entire process involves emptying the tank, cleaning the tank, disinfecting the tank with chlorine, and removing chlorine residue.

    If you use professionals they may use the manual method by which the laborer climbs into the tank and scrubs the walls and floor from inside. Other professionals may use the automated water tank cleaning method involving the use of water jet cleaners, anti-bacterial agents and disinfectants.

    The World Health Organization gives some simple guidelines that you can follow if you DIY. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/envsan/tn03/en/. “The tank must be cleaned to ensure that water stored in the tank does not become contaminated by dirt or traces of the substance the tank previously held. This can be achieved by following the three steps below.”

    Clean The Tank

    52 family health 073-02-2015.Drain/empty the tank.  “Open the outlet valve/tap and drain out any remaining liquid…Permanent storage tanks are usually fitted with a washout valve that draws water from the base. Use this for emptying rather than the normal outlet valve. The process of emptying the remaining liquids from portable tanks will depend on the shape and design of the tank. Some can be tipped on their side and others dismantled.”

    Clean/scrub all internal surfaces. “Use a mixture of detergent and water (household laundry soap powder will do) to clean all internal surfaces of the tank. This can be done with a stiff brush or a high pressure jet. If the tank has contained volatile substances such as oil or organic liquids…try not to enter the tank as the gases given off by the liquids could be dangerous… Attaching the brush to a long pole may make it possible to clean the tank without entering it. Take special care to clean corners and joints so that no small amounts of the original liquid remain. Even minute amounts of some liquids can give the water a bad taste…Leave the outlet valve open whilst cleaning and collect the waste liquid for safe disposal.”

    Wash all internal surfaces to remove all traces of detergent. “This is most easily done with a high pressure hose pipe or water jet but if they are not available the tank can be filled with water and left to stand for a few hours. Drain all the water from the tank”Dispose the water safely. ”Continue flushing the tank until there are no longer traces of detergent in the water.

    Chlorinate The Tank To Disinfect It

    Prepare chlorine solution to disinfect the tank. “The best source of chlorine to use is High Test Hypochlorite (HTH) granules or powder as this normally contains 50 to 70% chlorine.”Fill a 20 litre bucket with clean water and add 50g of HTH with stirring to dissolve it.Add 10 litres (half a bucket) of the chlorine solution to the water in the tank for every cubic meter of tank volume (1 cubic meter = 1000 liters). Fill the tank up to full capacity for the chlorine to reach all areas inside the tank.Place the lid and let the chlorine stand in the tank for 24 hours to disinfect it. If you do not have up to 24h to wait, double the chlorine concentration and wait only 8 hours. After disinfecting, empty the tank and dispose of the chlorinated water safely. You may decide to run it through the pipes to clean them too.

    Remove Chlorine Residue

    Fill the tank with fresh water and leave to stand for 30 minutes. 52 family health 073-02-2015.If you are ableto obtaina chlorine tester from the stores use itto testthe levelof chlorine in thewater. “If the residual chlorine concentration is 0.5mg/l or less the tank is safe to use for water storage. If the concentration is greater than 0.5mg/l, empty the tank again and refill with clean water. Re-test to check that the chlorine concentration is 0.5mg/l or less”  If you cannot obtain a tester, simply fill the tank, let it stand for 30 minutes and then empty it before refilling it for use. Remove chlorine from pipes also.

    Cleaning is recommended every 2-3 years or when your tank shows signs such as water discoloration, foul odor, strange taste in the water, or sedimentation. Lack of cleaning can lead to disease or damage to the pump and home fixtures by the built-up sediment.  If you use professional cleaners, theymay help to determine the cause of any unusual level of contamination and may have tools that vacuum sediment from the tank.  If you want the whole house to have purified water they may also install a water filtration system.

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Dirt in your water tank

    The water tank is that part of the housing complex that we may hardly think of inspecting.  We do need to inspect it every now and then.  If the tank is open or not closed off completely, dust settles inside, dissolves in the water and adds to sediments.  Animals always get to where we don’t want them and the water tank is a special attraction for them as water is essential to life and animals love life.  Sometimes they get drowned in water including in the water tank or they simply age and die there and then they rot and then bacteria feed on them and fungi and algae  all the littler creation invade.  And all the time we are drinking and bathing from the water supplied by the water tank.

    If the tank is a ground tank and low enough and open enough and you have little children around, you can be sure they must have dipped their dirty hands inside or chucked something inside at some stage. If the tank is overhead and open, you can never be sure a lizard or bird did not visit or even deposit something there.  Perhaps even a bat passes by; God forbid ebola again!

    Forget the kids and animals, even the bad guy who loses an argument with you or just doesn’t appreciate your good life can get back by spitting inside or leaving something worse there for you  thinking that serves you right.  Nowadays, rich people build a dedicated tower for just the water tank.  It cannot be casually reached and it also stands aside by the house, too conspicuous for mischief.  Others place the tank somewhere in a dedicated enclosure on their roof and only members of the household can generally access it. Then there is the underground tank that not only needs security but also has to be well built so that it is not breached and contaminated by ground matter.

    Your water tank can be a source of ailments for the household therefore you need to keep it well and protect it. If you open the tank and it smells, you definitely need to clean it.  Smell is associated with death of plant and animal matter and putrefaction.  The water from a smelly tank carries death.  Cleaning of that tank is an emergency matter.

    If the tank is not smelly, take a look inside your tank to see what kind of sediments you may have there.  Some kinds of sediment can be left alone undisturbed because the water flows over and does not carry materials from the sediment.  However, generally you should try to clean out the sediments for assurance double sure.  You may detect some wriggly creatures in the sediments. They get there like a miracle.

    In my former home, we shared two overhead tanks between three homes. One day the plumber came to clean the tanks. When he finished, I went to see what was happening. The ground beneath was covered with green and black debris. There had been a lot of algae and dirt in the tank. I asked how he managed to get it all out.  He told me he climbed into the tank. I told him that he had left some contamination inside the tank. He was reassuring me that with his rubber boots and overall, it was OK for him to have climbed into the tank. My biologic mind was in total disagreement so I got two large gallons of bleach and asked him to pour all the bleach inside the water. After many hours, we ran off the water with added bleach and replaced it with fresh water.

    Some time ago, as a new tenant, in my present home, I inspected the roof water tank of the newly built house. The bottom had a sediment of brown soil and tiny black wriggly creatures that made me cringe. The tank was taller than me so I did not attempt to clean it myself. I got a cleaner to clean the tank. To my horror, he embarked on climbing inside. “Madam,that is how we clean it”.  I inspected his toe nails and decided he wasn’t going scuba diving inside my tank. He also had some blisters on his skin.   There has to be a more hygienic way.

    We embarked on preparing our own gear. We got a brand new brush and brand new mops and tied extra length handles on them.  New and clean buckets tied to clean ropes were used as a scoop and as a mop bucket to be placed inside the tank. We removed the lid on top of the big round tank. After running off all the water that could pass out through the lowest outlet pipe, we scooped much of the remaining water out and mopped out the rest.  It was a lengthy labor. Then we used soap and bleach to wash inside the wall and bottom of the tank using the long brush and mop.  Drying the inside took continual mopping but I was happy with the outcome knowing we did not replace dirt with dirt.  My neighbor later had his tank cleaned by getting a plumber to dismantle it so that the inside would be better accessible for cleaning. However the reinstalling process can introduce new contamination into the cleaned tank. Next we will look at some tips from professionals.

     

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • ‘Permanent parks ‘ll ease traffic in Apapa’

    ‘Permanent parks ‘ll ease traffic in Apapa’

    •Fed Govt plans relocation of Tank Farms

    To quell the traffic logjam bedeviling Apapa area of Lagos State, the federal government yesterday urged the state government to build permanent holding bay for trucks and tankers to park.

    The Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, made the call at the headquarters, Western Naval Command (WNC), Apapa, after being led on an assessment tour by the Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade.

    Obanikoro, who said the bay would keep the trucks and trailers, who hinder free flow of traffic off the roads, stated that the 500-truck park being constructed by the federal government at Tincan Island would serve as holding bay.

    While noting that the deplorable state of the roads he visited (Coconut, Liverpool and Creek), also compounded traffic situation in the area, the minister assured that the federal government would speed up rehabilitation actions to save the situation.

    He said: “There are plans and we are also working with all the stakeholders to ensure that the area is kept under check. It is not easy to close all these things overnight but what is important is to call for more vigilance on the part of the operators. Let me assure that all the security agencies in this country are alert to what is at stake and everything humanly possible is being done to contain such misfortune.

    “There is need for the state to have a permanent holding bay for trucks. It is when that is provided that there can be a radio link between the port and the bay so that whenever the port is ready to have them, a radio message would be passed across and the affected trucks can go into Apapa. We cannot afford not to do that and we need to do it as quickly as possible. I believe that Lagos State Government will act fast.”

    “The park at Tincan Island is still under construction. We will do everything possible to complete it in the shortest time possible but is not a permanent holding bay. For some time now, we have been looking at the security implication of allowing trailers and trucks use the road as parks rather than for movement. With the activities of Boko Haram and other elements, we believe strongly that people may want to negatively take advantage of the chaotic situation around the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA).

    “I am happy that the Nigerian Navy (NN) moved in and so far, all the standing trucks have been moved and passage way created to ensure smooth vehicular movement in the area, thus, eliminating the security threat of having trucks and containers littering the entire area. Naval officers have been assigned and are still on the road to ensure free traffic and they have almost completed eliminated the congestion except for the issues we have with the roads, which is affecting movement,” he added.

    Obanikoro further said: “As you can see, Julius Berger (construction firm) is trying to bring relief. I have it on good authority that there is significant improvement and I commend the navy for bringing in other stakeholders to contain the situation. Though there is significant socio-economic benefit of having traffic-free movement in and out of the port, the main element that prompted the navy to swing into action is security.

    “Blame game does not solve issues. It is a common problem and we need every stakeholder to be part of the solution. We all have responsibilities to the people of Lagos and Nigerians. So, the state government should join hands with the NPA and other stakeholders in finding a lasting solution. It is not the navy’s duty to clear traffic and so, their effort towards ending the gridlock cannot be permanent.”

    Also speaking, Alade said it took the navy about four days to achieve sanity after flagging off the operation to clear the congestion, adding: “For now, we are still on the road. The operation is still active and until we call it off, naval personnel we remain on the road.”

    However, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN); the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) as well as the truck and trailer drivers accused one of the concessionaires of compounding traffic situation in Apapa.

    The deputy chairman of RTEAN, Anthony Agbanosi, said the concessionaire has a holding bay that can accommodate about 300 trucks but does not allow them in because it makes more money from the renewal of loading permit.

    “However, between now and September, all the empty containers would no longer line up along the road but they will park at the International holding bay and if there is any need to bring an empty container to the port, the vehicle will produce its empty container certificate.

    “The holding bay is along Badagry road and this is to ensure that any vehicle that has no business at the port does not enter APAPA to cause traffic. Hence, any vehicle parked on the road would be impounded and the owners prosecuted,” Agbanosi said.

    An Apapa resident, Kayode Animasaun, said they were working actively with the committee set up by the navy to ensure free flowing traffic, adding: “The traffic situation has been paralyzing, but I commend the navy because they have remained committed to reducing the plight of the people since they started controlling the situation.”