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HELP in easing Portland’s liquid pitch spill crisis is on the way in the form of a ship from Newcastle that’s expected to drain the damaged tank early tomorrow morning.
The transport vessel Rathboyne is due in port at 10pm tonight, with pumping to start shortly after that, according to Port of Portland CEO Jim Cooper. The hazardous liquid pitch is still leaking from the stricken tank, but at a greatly reduced rate of about two tonnes per hour. More than 280 tonnes has leaked so far.
“There’s nearly 3000 tonnes of hot pitch pushing downwards on the material at the bottom of the tank, where the rupture took place,” Mr Cooper said. “We are racing to install pipes and a pump to get the remaining pitch back onto the Rathboyne, the ship that’s been used for years to make monthly deliveries here.
“It’s a real engineering challenge. Fortunately, Koppers Australia, which owns the tank, has sent the engineer who designed the system 20 years ago. He has lots of skills and is already at work with other engineers here in Portland to come up with a way to get the remaining bitumen out of the tank.”
Mr Cooper confirmed that the rupture at the base of the Number Two liquid pitch tank was small, but said there’s no way of knowing how it happened until the hot pitch is safely out of the tank and engineers can get inside to have a look.
Yesterday morning Mr Cooper said there had been two small leaks detected on February 7 and 10. Koppers Australia sent engineers to Portland and the leaks were repaired. The tanks and adjoining pipes are nearly 20 years old.
On Saturday an outlet pipe attached to the tank ruptured and the hot pitch spilled out. The CFA was called in at 2.45pm Saturday and with concern for nearby residents possible breathing noxious fumes, CFA officials issued a warning for homeowners to keep their windows closed and turn off air conditioners. That advisory was cancelled on Sunday evening. It’s believed that no one has sought medical help for any health problems related to the rupture.
“There haven’t been any emissions of toxic vapours into the air,” Mr Cooper said.
There are six monitoring stations across Portland and none has recorded any vapours from the leak, Mr Cooper said.
Read more in Wednesday’s edition of the Portland Observer.
