The roofs of both tanks were scattered with corrosion perforations which allowed flammable vapour to escape An independent report commissioned by the Gibraltar government into the fuel tanks explosion at the port at the end of May gives the direct cause as corrosion perforations in the roofs of the two tanks. A Spanish worker died from the serious burns he suffered in the explosion. The report by Capita Symonds reveals more than 20 perforations in Tank No. 1 and more than 40 in Tank No. 2, ‘all of which had been caused by long term corrosion, wastage of the steel.’ The Gibraltar government said in a press release on Thursday that these holes allowed flammable vapour to escape from the tank and into the atmosphere. The escaping vapour ignited when the welder struck an arc while welding a pipe to the guardrail of the roof of Tank No. 1, and this then caused the vapour in the roof void to also ignite. The flash then spread to Tank No. via pipe work on the top of each tank. The report also notes that the perforations had been identified but had not been repaired. The report’s main conclusion is that, before the explosions, the integrity of both tanks would have been breached by the many corrosion perforations in their roofs and that neither would have been hermetically tight. The sullage plant facility at Gibraltar port is operated by Nature Port Reception Facilities, and it’s understood that their licence is to remain suspended until the government considers its decision on the matter. The operation of the plant in its present location will also be subject to a detailed review.
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