Water subsides in Point Fortin after spill

THE floodwaters at the Heritage Petroleum compound in Point Fortin, as well as on nearby roads, have subsided after a tank ruptured on Sunday.

But drivers are still being asked to use alternative routes to get to Clifton Hill, as the regular route past the police station remains blocked.

The tank gave way while undergoing hydrostatic testing for strength and leaks.

Tank 27 was being tested on Sunday to determine whether it was suitable for storing oil. But as water was pumped into the tank, it could not “take the pressure,” according to one worker, and ruptured at 6pm.

Newsday visited the site on Monday morning, when workers, who refused to speak with the media, were assessing the tank.

Both Heritage and nearby energy company Atlantic LNG issued releases on the incident.

Heritage said the leak was the result of a “failure of the tank wall” during testing.

It said, “The leak caused the sea water utilised in the hydro test to flow out of the tank, overflowing the area and into the roadway and the nearby Atlantic LNG compound. The seawater would also have caused the overflow of residual oil from the sump pit located at the tank farm.”

Newsday also saw people cleaning the road during its visit.

Heritage said there were no reported injuries and that it would “continue to monitor the situation.”

Atlantic said its facility, along the southern perimeter and east gate, became “inundated with water.

“Atlantic’s emergency operations centre was convened and our emergency response teams were immediately activated. Personnel on site in affected areas were moved and are all safe and accounted for with no reports of injury.”

It added, “The company has been and will continue to liaise with Heritage on their response as well as their plans for treating with the issue and clean-up efforts.”

The Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) also issued a release, as many Point Fortin and even La Brea residents complained they had no running water.

WASA said its Point Fortin desalination plant is out of operation owing to the incident at Heritage. It said the electrical cable system at the plant was also flooded.

It said the situation is being assessed to determine the duration of the disruption, after which the public will be informed.

The affected areas include: Point Fortin proper, Parrylands, Cochrane, Gonzales Village, Mahaica, Lot Ten, Harriman Park, Clifton Hill, Reservoir Hill, New Village, Salazar Trace, parts of Techier Village, Pilgrim Street and environs, Vance River, Vessigny and La Brea.

Newsday tried to contact Point Fortin mayor Kennedy Richards but all calls went unanswered.