Projects

Disaster Recovery Example

On the 23rd July 1998, an electrical fire broke out at Castrol, Paarden Eiland, Cape Town, in the early hours of the morning. It was attended to by the Blaauwberg Fire Brigade. The plant was is in a busy industrial area and close to the shores of Table Bay and the Black River outfall. A mixture of oils and hazardous chemicals, adding up to 3 million litres, needed to be contained and cleaned up.

Castrols Paarden Eiland warehouse and contents worth more than R10-million burnt to the ground overnight. (23 June 1998)

The next morning, the extent of the fire is obvious. After the fire was extinguished, the inside of the plant was awash with oil. Three million liters of hazardous liquids, oil, diesel, glycols etc, not 1 liter got into the wetland, river or sea.

Liquid mixed with oil swept in waves into effluent box drain.

After a few hours fresh SpillSorb is laid.

SpillSorb bunds were formed around doorways and drains to contain the oil-flood in and around the building.

SpillSorb that is dry has a light brown appearance, whilst peat that has wicked up the spilt oil is dark in colors.

Above we can see that damage that occurred, after oil flowed from the warehouse on the other side of the firewall into the recently refurbished offices.

A fireman scraps his hands through the SpillSorb. We can see the oil on the right hand side where no Spill-Sorb has yet been applied.

Dave Marock dressed in a "B" chemical suit prior to assessing damage to toxic materials.

Hazardous chemicals for encapsulation disposal.Receiving drums prepared for dispatch.

So the site went from looking like this... to the picture below in just 13 days

6th August 1998, 13 days later

Reference re this Project contact: Tag/The Apple Group - Ivor Mumford Tel +2721531062