Following torrential rain, rising floodwater allowed waste oil floating on the surface to be brought into contact with hot equipment on the refinery causing explosions and a fire. A second blaze broke out and several storage tanks reportedly caught fire and exploded. Damage to the refinery was extensive, two were killed, and a further three reported missing. Later reports said that two to three production units had been affected by the fire. The processing units affected were the crude unit, the 20,000 bbl-per-day vacuum distillation unit, the 24,000 bbl-per-day catalytic reformer unit, and the 24,000 bbl-per-day distillate hydrotreater. At the time, it was stated that the units not affected by the fire would restart within 15 days, although the other units would not be operational for a further eight to 12 months.

[ Property Damage $130 Million. Estimated Current Value $213 Million ]

Image credit: Samir