Disaster Recovery Example
Dave Marock dressed in a “B” chemical suit prior to assessing damage to toxic materials.
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)
Liquid mixed with oil swept in waves into effluent box drain.
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.
SpillSorb bunds were formed around doorways and drains to contain the oil-flood in and around the building.
The site 13 days later.