Buncefield Oil Depot Explosion

“On the morning of 11 December 2005, the UK experienced its largest explosion since World War Two.” - BBC

The recent explosion at the Buncefield depot in Hemel Hempstead came as quite a shock to me. I live close by and travel around the adjacent lanes at least twice a week. I travelled along the lane between the oil depot and the industrial estate 18 hours before the explosion, and my children were with me. The devastation to nearby buildings is quite scary. I once worked in one of the nearby buildings now destroyed, and I join with all those who are thankful the incident occurred at a time when very few people were working in the area.

I have read that for an explosion to occur - that was allegedly heard 100 miles away; registered 2.4 on the Richter scale; and the smoke over southeast England could be seen from space - something very unusual must have occurred. Petrol does not just explode. This is a finished product, not a refinery where complex oil-cracking procedures are in place. Ignite, yes. Exploding is different. I read that the oil storage tanks have floating roofs and maybe the system failed somehow, causing a build-up of a vapour cloud. Certainly, the Fuji Film security guard had said that just before the explosion he was looking for the source of the fumes he could smell.

I feel sorry for the tanker driver who thinks that turning an ignition key off caused the spark. The incident occurred at just after 6a.m. - that's the time central heating comes on in many homes, so maybe a gas boiler firing up in one of the nearby homes was the trigger?

The oil depot was located where it is because that is where a buried supply pipe comes in. The depot was there long before the nearest industrial buildings were proposed and built. People will not tolerate the possibility of a repeat incident. A new site has to found, and not too far away. Petrol tankers are currently been diverted in from Birmingham, Northampton, and even Hull to fill the void that the out of action depot in Hemel Hempstead has caused. As I write there are shortages of some grades at petrol stations in the Hemel Hempstead area. Transporting this fuel by road for longer distances must be costing the companies a small fortune. And it is also an extra risk that it is being transported by road.

So, in my view, a new site somewhere along the route of the pipeline has to be found. To continue at Buncefield would be too scary for local people, whatever new failsafe devices are dreamt up to prevent a recurrence. The authorities need to get a new site and not waste time thinking about how they would make Buncefield any safer. It needs to be sited perhaps a mile from other buildings, and preferably well shielded by natural formations (or even unnatural formations). On a global scale, all oil depots will have to be reconsidered for siting, in much the same way that an aircraft accident investigation would recommend for their whole industry.


Business Affected

Northgate Information Solutions - building wrecked. Hosted several websites

FUJIFILM Electronic Imaging Ltd - building wrecked

Supplies electronic pre-press equipment and software open imaging systems.
www.ffei.co.uk/
3COM

buncefiled buncfield hemel fire explosion oil depot
Jobs threatened

Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire

I have been to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this evening. The cinema was quite full, still, even though it is in its second week of showing. A great film, but having read the 678 (?) pages in the book, it did feel at times like you were watching a video with the fast forward button pressed down. 2 hours and 26 minutes cannot do justice to a book of that size and with so much in it. I would feel sorry for people who hadn't read the book first as so many emotions were dropped, in favour of little cameo pieces. The small time frame meant that background and build-up to events was sacrificed, in order to cram in as many of the events as possible.



Nevertheless, the film was enjoyable to watch, with satire, humour, teenage emotions, and even the deep sadness of death being ably portrayed on screen. The whole film served as a reminder of the very dramatic scenes J. K. Rowling wrote for this episode.



A good performance by teenage actor Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) whose unfortunate "bloody hell" may become his catch-phrase, yet. His portrayal of a jilted friend came across as pretentious at first, a victim of the little time available, but his later scenes hinted that he may have a great character acting future ahead. Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) played the part a fickle teenage girl being annoyed by her would-be boyfriend to great effect. She shows signs of making diction her strong point, so we should certainly look out for more high-class portrayals from her in the future. Daniel Radcliffe trotted out the essential plot lines, and it has to be noted that his underwater swimming expertise was one of the most unusual calls made upon any actor in any film. The teenagers performances were professionally balanced with the performances of key older actors, notably that of Brendan Gleeson (Mad-Eye Moody), and Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), making the evening entertainment one that will last in my memory for quite a few months to come.

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