During a transfer of heavy fuel oil (HFO), a leak occurs on a pipe between a coastal depot and a power plant storage (length: 7430 m; depth: 2 m). The procedure involves flushing with light fuel oil (LFO) at 10 bar, transferring LFO at 85 °C at 38 bar and flushing with LFO at 20 bar. On the day of the incident, such an operation is initiated. The next day, a farmer noticed the presence of fuel oil in a field. The PSI is immediately triggered.

The field is slightly polluted over 2 m². The pipeline is made safe by injecting water. The next day, a company scraped off 10 m³ of polluted soil which was stored in the retention basin of one of the plant’s heavy fuel oil tanks.

The first visual inspection of the pipeline does not determine whether the cause of the leak is related to the pipeline or to external aggression. As part of the follow-up to a previous fuel oil leak in September 2001 (ARIA 21233), the inspection of classified installations had required an in-depth analysis which is currently being completed. The method used (leakage currents) revealed several anomalies on certain sections of the pipeline for which further investigations were necessary and are ongoing.

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