Heritage stll cleaning up in Pt Fortin

Clean-up operations are ongoing at Heritage Petroleum in Point Fortin, where a tank gave way on Sunday, causing nearby areas to flood.

A release from the company’s corporate communications unit on Monday said continuous air quality monitoring is being done. Results indicated zero volatile organic carbons since the leak. However, there was a scent of hydrocarbons in the area.

On Sunday, shortly before 6 pm, Heritage Petroleum was doing an engineered hydro test to assess the integrity of Tank 27 at Adventure Tank Farm when the base of the tank failed.

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

On Monday CEO of Heritage Arlene Chow, Point Fortin MP Edmund Dillon and Point Fortin mayor Kennedy Richards Jr visited for a first-hand view of the situation. The company also distributed 100 relief hampers to impacted residents and families on Monday.

“Beaches from La Brea to Cedros have been checked by foot traffic and marine coastal patrol. No oil was observed in any of the beaches along this entire stretch of coast. There was an approximately two mile stretch of rainbow sheen offshore,” the release said.

“No clean-up was necessary for this area and sheen will be dispersed by wave action. Drone surveillance was carried out in the offshore and nearshore. No oil was observed in this surveillance.”

Of the ten residents were taken to the hospital since the rupture, six were seen and treated. The four others, the release said, opted not to be triaged or registered.

Contractors brought in to clean up hired several residents after the requisite health, safety security and environmental (HSSE) orientation training.

The release also said, “An Incident Command and HSSE teams have remained on-site, managing the situation. The safety and well-being of impacted residents remain a priority.”