The Buncefield Investigation Board has published a second interim report as they continue their mammoth task of investigating the oil depot incident on 11 December 2005, where explosions resulted from a massive escape of fuel and formed a flammable cloud. The report focuses mainly on the environmental impact of the incident, in particular the impact of the escaped fuel and firewater on the land, ground and surface water. It is clear that there were significant failures of the bunds that were designed to hold the firefighting waters and the liquids escaping from the damaged storage tanks. The reasons for this failure are still being investigated, with the outcome potentially having a bearing on future bund design and construction. Monitoring is currently ongoing to see what contamination is occurring. So far only low-level water contamination has been found, but as water takes years to drain into the ground the full effects of the blast may only be experienced in the years to come.
As a result, storage site operators have been asked to take note of the bund failures at Buncefield, and should consider the adequacy of the existing bunds on their sites as part of their ongoing safety and environmental reviews. In addition, the report looks ahead to the next crucial stage of the investigation, which will look into exactly how the fuel escaped and managed to form the flammable mixture which exploded.
