A tank owned by Heritage Petroleum Company Limited erupted around 5:00 p.m. Sunday spilling oil and water which affected operations at nearby Atlantic LNG causing panic in the nearby community in Point Fortin. Southsidenewstt understands that the tank was being pressure tested at the time of the eruption.
Southsidenewstt was informed that the tank had a capacity of Six hundred and twenty-two thousands of gallons water and oil mixture. Residents of the area are asking to be evacuated as the stench is becoming unbearable.
A Former Safety Manager attached to Petrotrin, who was at the site, voiced his concerns for the residents. When Southsidenewstt arrived, there were no officials from Heritage at the site. A worried-looking Point Fortin Mayor Kennedy Richards Jr. was on the location trying to assist residents. In a statement late Sunday evening, the Heritage Corporate Communications Manager said that Heritage was conducting an Engineered Hydrotest to assess the integrity of Tank 27, a failure in the walls of the tank caused a leak.
The release stated there were no injuries as a result of this incident and Heritage is continuing to monitor the situation and it’s Incident Command, and HSE Team are on-site and managing the situation however when southsidenewstt left the area shortly before 9:00 p.m. there were no Heritage officials on site.